Cosmological Argument

Question 1

What are the four causes

Answer 1

Material
Formal
Efficient
Final

Question 2

What is the material cause

Answer 2

What something is made of

The physical properties

Question 3

What is the formal cause

Answer 3

Structure or design

What makes it one thing rather an another

Question 4

What is efficient cause

Answer 4

Thing or agent which actually brings something about

Question 5

What is final cause

Answer 5

Ultimate purpose

Question 6

Who created the four causes

Answer 6

Aristotle

Question 7

What type of argument is cosmological argument

Answer 7

A posterior

Inductive

Attempts to infer existence of god from the cosmos

Question 8

What is the prime mover

Answer 8

Chain of cause and effect cannot go on forever - infinite regress

Aristotle argued there must be something that started it

An uncaused cause it prime mover

Question 9

What is way 3

Answer 9

Argument form necessity and contingency

Question 10

What does contingent mean

Answer 10

Dependent on something else

Question 11

Describe way 3

Answer 11

All beings in this world are created then perish - contingent beings

If all beings are contingent then there must have been a time when nothing existed

All beings cannot be contingent - must be a necessary being - “God” who brought things into existence.

Question 12

Breakdown of Aquinas’ 3rd way

Answer 12

We observe things that exist

Things that exist, exist contingently

if all things that exist may not exist, at some point nothing existed

if nothing existed then nothing exists now

it is false to say that nothing exists now

false to say that the only thing that exists exists contingently

there is a necessary being

this god

Question 13

how did the universe come about

Answer 13

universe is caused by a necessary being

Question 14

criticisms to Aquinas’ cosmological argument

Answer 14

fallacy of composition
no being can be necessary
the universe may be the necessary being
the universe is a brute fact

Question 15

explain criticism fallacy of composition

Answer 15

By Russel
inadequate explanation

Although things in the world are contingent that doesn’t mean the world as a whole is contingent

The world itself could be the necessary being instead of God

Question 16

explain criticism of no being can be necessary

Answer 16

Hume and Russel
if everything has a cause then god must also have had a cause
there is no special category above us - where would this come from
therefore necessary being is meaningless

Question 17

explain criticism that the universe may be the necessary being

Answer 17

Hume
why not stop at the empirical this is a much simpler argument
fits with Occam’s razor

Question 18

explain criticism that universe is a brute fact

Answer 18

Russel
doesn’t require an explanation
“the universe just is”

Question 19

what is occams razor

Answer 19

if there is more than one reason or hypothesis

the simplest one is the best

Question 20

explain response to fallacy of composition

Answer 20

standard encyclopaedia of philosophy does not agree that it commits fallacy of composition

reasonable to say that there is something outside the universe - something necessary.

Question 21

explain response to no being can be necessary

Answer 21

Aquinas says god has metaphysical necessity talks about a logical necessity

“You must understand the meaning because you are talking about it” - cople

Question 22

explain response to the universe may be the necessary being

Answer 22

Aquinas

matter might exist necessarily but would have needed an uncaused necessity like God to cause it into existence

Question 23

explain response to universe is a brute fact

Answer 23

science works on assumption there are no brute facts otherwise science wouldn’t work

if things in the universe are not brute fact then why should universe as a whole be brute fact

He has committed falacy of composition in own argument