Aquinas' Cosmological Argument

Question 1

What observation did Aquinas make about the cosmos?

Answer 1

Aquinas observed that the cosmos’ basic processes do not explain themselves, and that all things in the universe move and change due to cause and effect.

Question 2

What is the basis of Aquinas’ third way?

Answer 2

Aquinas’ third way is a posteriori and inductive, based on the observation of contingent things in the universe.

Question 3

What does Aquinas’ third way argue?

Answer 3

It argues that everything in the universe is contingent and that something must exist necessarily to explain the existence of contingent beings.

Question 4

How does Aquinas define contingency?

Answer 4

Contingent beings are those that can either exist or not exist, implying they don’t have to exist but do.

Question 5

What conclusion did Aquinas draw from the observation of contingency?

Answer 5

Aquinas concluded that something must exist necessarily, otherwise, nothing would exist now.

Question 6

What is the difference between caused and uncaused necessary beings according to Aquinas?

Answer 6

Caused necessary beings depend on something to bring them into existence, while uncaused necessary beings exist out of necessity and do not rely on anything else.

Question 7

How does Aquinas define God in the context of the cosmological argument?

Answer 7

God is understood as the uncaused necessary being who brings existence to all caused necessary beings and contingent beings.

Question 8

What is the argument from contingency and necessity?

Answer 8

Aquinas argues that if everything is contingent, there would be a time when nothing existed. Therefore, something must exist necessarily, and that is God.

Question 9

What is the problem with an infinite series of necessary beings?

Answer 9

An infinite series of necessary beings would provide no explanation for the existence of anything, so there must be an uncaused necessary being.

Question 10

What role does ‘necessary existence’ play in Aquinas’ argument?

Answer 10

Necessary existence is essential because contingent beings require a necessary being to explain their existence.

Question 11

What did Hume and Russell criticize about Aquinas’ third way?

Answer 11

They rejected the idea that any being could be logically necessary and questioned the assumption that the universe must have a cause.

Question 12

What is the fallacy of composition, according to Russell?

Answer 12

The fallacy of composition is assuming that what is true of parts of a whole is true for the whole (e.g., hydrogen and oxygen are not wet, so water is not wet).

Question 13

How does Russell apply the fallacy of composition to Aquinas’ third way?

Answer 13

Russell argued that just because each event in the universe has a cause doesn’t mean the entire universe must have a cause.

Question 14

What is Reichenbach’s response to Russell’s criticism?

Answer 14

Reichenbach suggests that Aquinas’ argument does not commit the fallacy of composition because the universe’s contingency follows from its parts.

Question 15

What is Hume’s criticism regarding necessary beings?

Answer 15

Hume argued that there is no contradiction in the idea that any being, including God, could not exist, and thus, the concept of necessary beings is flawed.

Question 16

How does Aquinas respond to Hume’s criticism?

Answer 16

Aquinas clarifies that he means metaphysical necessity, not logical necessity, when discussing God’s necessary existence in his third way.

Question 17

What is metaphysical necessity, according to Aquinas?

Answer 17

Metaphysical necessity refers to a being whose existence is required by its essence, not simply a logical necessity as in the Ontological Argument.

Question 18

What does Hume suggest about the universe being a necessary being?

Answer 18

Hume proposes that the material universe itself could be the necessary being, providing an explanation for its existence without invoking God.

Question 19

How does Aquinas respond to Hume’s suggestion about the universe being necessary?

Answer 19

Aquinas acknowledges that matter could be necessary but insists that even if matter exists necessarily, it still requires an uncaused necessary being (God) to explain its existence.

Question 20

What is Russell’s criticism of the universe as a brute fact?

Answer 20

Russell suggests that the universe exists as an unexplainable brute fact, offering no causal explanation for its existence.

Question 21

How does Aquinas counter Russell’s view of the universe as a brute fact?

Answer 21

Aquinas argues that science operates on the assumption that there are no brute facts, and thus, the universe must have an explanation outside itself.

Question 22

What is the main debate between Aquinas and Hume regarding the explanation of the universe?

Answer 22

The debate centers on whether the universe’s existence is best explained by a necessary being (God) or if the universe itself is necessary.

Question 23

What is the status of Aquinas’ argument as a ‘proof’ of God’s existence?

Answer 23

Aquinas’ argument is inductive and deals with probabilities, rather than providing definitive proof, making it more reasonable than a logical proof.

Question 24

How does Gerry J. Hughes defend the cosmological argument?

Answer 24

Hughes suggests that we accept different forms of proof based on what is reasonable and that the universe requires an explanation outside itself, which can be reasonably attributed to God.

Question 25

How does Aquinas’ argument relate to religious faith?

Answer 25

For religious believers, Aquinas’ third way provides a rational foundation for the belief in God, supporting the idea that the universe owes its existence to an uncaused necessary being.