Aquinas' Third Way

Question 1

What is the third way from?

Answer 1

Contingency

Question 2

Define contingent.

Answer 2

Beings that depend on another being for existence, they are not necessary and have a beginning and end.

Question 3

Define necessary.

Answer 3

Beings that do not depend on another being for existence, if they exist, they cannot not exist. They have no beginning or end.

Question 4

Why can a contingent being not bring itself into existence?

Answer 4

Because they are dependent on other beings and have a beginning and an end, meaning there was a time when it did not exist, therefore cannot be a necessary being , and only necessary beings can bring themselves into existence.

Question 5

Why is it foolish to say everything in existence is contingent?
(Argument in full)

Answer 5

• Contingent beings have a beginning and an end.
• This means there must have been a time when the contingent being did not exist.
• If everything is contingent, then there was a time when nothing existed
• Because contingent beings cannot cause themselves, then if there WAS a time when nothing existed, then nothing exists NOW.
• This is not the case, however, we exist now, and it is not the case that there was a time when nothing existed.
• It is not the case that everything exists contingently, as things are in existence now.
• This must mean that there is a necessary being that is responsible for the existence of contingent beings.
• This necessary being is God.

Question 6

How is impossible that there was never nothing?

Answer 6

Contingency means that there was a time nothing existed (has a beginning and an end), which means nothing exists now (can’t bring self into existence), which is not the case (we exist now) therefore there must be something responsible for our existence (necessary being), which has by definition always existed.