Cosmological Argument Flashcards
What type of theory is the cosmological argument?
AKA the First Cause argument
An A posteriori, inductive argument for the existence of God.
Who are the key scholars supporting the cosmological argument?
Aristotle, Aquinas, Al-Kindi and Al-Ghazali, William Lane Craig, Liebniz
Who are the key scholars/ theories opposing the cosmological argument?
Hume, Brian Davies, Kenny, Steady State Theory, Big Bang theory
Which of Aquinas’ arguments form the basis of the cosmological argument?
The first three ways of is Suma Theologica.
Outline Aquinas’ First Way.
The Unmoved Mover- things that are in motion must have been put in motion by something else. Infinite regress of movers is impossible; there must have been a necessary First Mover, itself unmoved. He points out that things stay the same unless some force acts upon them to make them change- a very early understanding of the physics of motion and Newtonian science.
Give a quote and example explaining Aquinas’ First Way.
“nothing can be in motion except it is in potentiality to that towards which it is in motion”
An object is in motion without being acted upon by another force, but dependent on another object in motion, as the moon moves around the earth.
Give an example explaining potentiality and actuality.
If Thing A is changed by Thing B, Thing B must have the qualities of the change it brings about- if Thing B makes Thing A hotter, Thing B must be hot. You can’t boil an egg in cold water.
Potentiality refers to a thing’s potential- an egg can potentially be boiled.
Actuality refers to when a thing has reached its potential- once it has become boiled.
An egg cannot be changed from potentiality to actuality by water that is potentially hot- the water must have reached actuality.
What is the point of the argument for potentiality and actuality?
God continues to exist- things on the universe continue to change and these changes are brought about by a first point: an Unmoved Mover.
Outline Aquinas’ Second Way.
The Uncaused Causer- nothing can cause itself to exist as it would have had to exist before it existed, which is logically impossible. There cannot be an infinite regress of causes; there must have been a First Cause, which is understood to be God.
This is heavily influenced by Aristotle’s ideas of cause.
Give Aristotle’s four different levels which “cause” works on.
Material, efficient, formal, and final.
Efficient- the agent which makes something happen (e.g. the baker kneading dough).
Outline Aquinas’ Third Way.
Contingency- there must have been a time where nothing existed. Things come into existence and later cease to exist.
Cause of the universe must have been external to it and must have always existed.
This necessary being is understood to be God.
Outline the Kalam cosmological argument.
Developed by Muslim scholars on the work of Aristotle. Everything that comes into existence must have had a cause.
The three Abrahamic religions have creation stories, the Kalam argument views this from a Muslim perspective.
Give a quote from Al-Ghazali.
“It is an axiom of reason that all that comes to be must have a cause to bring it about. The world came to be. Ergo, the world must have a cause to bring it about.”
Who is William Lane Craig?
Modern American Christian scholar, supporter of Kalam philosophy.
What reason does William Lane Craig give to evidence the impossibility of a mathematical infinite?
The present would not exist in an infinite universe as successive additions cannot be added to an actual infinite.
The present exists because of a chronological series of past events. The universe is finite and must have a cause.
