Cosmological Argument Flashcards
What is Aquinas’ 1st way about?
God is the Prime Mover who makes things happen-motion / change (in state, location and number)
What do science and religion agree on?
The universe had a start point and exists contingently
What is meant by contingent existence?
has a beginning and end and is dependent on something else
what is meant by God as the Unmoved Mover?
God is the efficient cause that takes something from a place of potentiality to actuality (stone> statue)
What is meant by infinite regress? +example
you can’t have real world infinity ( Hilbert’s Hotel is theoretically impossible - hotel says full but has infinite rooms so you can stay )
What is Aquinas’ 3rd way focused on?
God is the necessary being that is needed to bring about the existence of everything else ( God is eternal so without beginning or end)
What is Aquinas’ 2nd way focused on?
concept of cause and effect - everything in the universe is linked in a chain of cause and effect but the first cause for Aquinas is God (the Uncaused Cause)
What is Dr William Lane Craig’s development of the Kalam cosmological argument?
the cause of the universe must be through the deliberate choice of a personal being with the will, power and ability to create the universe because everything within the universe needs a cause and infinity is impossible
what is the cosmological argument also known as?
the First Cause argument
How did David Hume challenge the CA?
fallacy of composition - cause and effect could be an illusion
What did Bertrand Russel say in his 1948 radio debate
the existence of the universe is just a ‘brute fact’
What are 2 criticisms by Russell?
quantum physics may support uncaused events (spontaneity) and the universe is self coherent - doesn’t need an external explanation
How does Newton’s first law challenge Aquinas’ 1st way?
it proved that things can move themselves so they don’t need a mover/ ‘guiding hand’
