Cosmological argument Flashcards
what is the notion of the cosmological argument
everything we experience in the world is contingent
Who is the thinker behind the principle of sufficient reason
Leibniz
what is the principle of sufficient reason
need sufficient reason/cause or total explanation
birthday cake analogy is a partial explanation
need something not contingent, self explanatory and necessary
What is Aristotles argument about a prime mover
all movements depend on a prime mover
chain of events and a common source for all substances is the beginning of everything, prime mover
eternal substance, exists necessarily, can’t change or decay
what is Aristotle’s argument based on
the idea of potentiality and actuality
possibly doing something and the state of it when it’s achieved
what cause is the Prime Mover (Aristotle)
the final cause
what does the prime mover attract (Aristotle)
everything in the universe is attracted to it
doesn’t change
Why does the prime mover not start things (Aristotle)
it’s the originating cause of all motion that sustains the pattern of change from potentiality to actuality by attracting things towards it
who is the prime mover for Aristotle
God
what is it called when u argue the opposite of what you are trying to prove (Aristotle)
reduction ad absurdum
what is the reduction ad absurdum of Aristotle’s argument
if the universe did not have a cause, there would be no cause and effect
what argument builds on Aristotle’s argument and how
Kalam argument
If something is not its own reason for existing, must have been a self-causing necessary cause
what is a weakness of Aristotle’s and the Kalam argument to do with cause
supposes a cause that can come into existence without a cause
argument is based on the idea that the universe cannot exist without a cause so how can the necessary cause exist without a cause?
what is a weakness of Aristotle’s and the Kalam argument to do with science
science could also not yet have discovered a cause
what is a weakness of Aristotle’s and the Kalam argument to do with cause (hypocritical)
how can a cause not have a cause
what is a weakness of Aristotle’s and the Kalam argument to do with belief
can only convince believers in God
what of Aquinas’ 5 ways are the cosmological argument
first three
1 motion
2 causation
3 contingency
what is aquinas’ first way
motion
an object only moves when an external force applied
movements don’t go back to an infinite regress of movers
must have been a prime mover who was once unmoved
why do things change (Aquinas/motion)
things only change because of external force
changing because of external force example (Aquinas/motion)
e.g. fire making wood hot
wood can’t change itself as it would have to be both potentiality and actuality
what is Aquinas’ second way
causation
Aquinas identifies a series of causes and effects in the universe
observes nothing could cause itself
would mean it would have had to existed before it existed which is logically impossible
what is Aquinas’ third way
contingency
world consists of contingent items and beings
if all beings were contingent and if at one time nothing existed, nothing could come into existence as it needs a cause
all things can’t be contingent, must be a necessary one
what is necessary to contingency (Aquinas)
must only be one necessary being to avoid infinite regress of necessary beings
what are 2 strengths of Aquinas’ contingency
only attempts to prove uncaused cause
corresponds with science e.g. Big Bang
what are 2 weaknesses of Aquinas’ contingency
could be an endless series of causes, not prime mover, universe could be infinite
still infinite regress, what was prime mover doing prior to creating the universe
who criticises Aquinas
Hume and Kant
