Cosmological argument

Question 1

Cosmological argument

Answer 1

Thomas Aquinas’ argument that the universe must have a creator due to the observation of cause and effect.

Question 2

Infinite regress

Answer 2

An endless chain of events with no beginning

Aquinas says that this is impossible

Question 3

Aquinas fire example (Way 1)

Answer 3

Wood has the potential to become fire, but it needs actualised fire to reach its potentiality

Question 4

What did Aquinas conclude about the world? Way 1

Answer 4

Everything requires other actualised things to change them from potentiality to actuality

Question 5

Why did Aquinas believe there was a first mover? Way 1

Answer 5

Nothing moves without a cause and nothing can actualise itself so there must be something to start this

Question 6

The second way

Answer 6

Every cause has an effect, things can’t cause themselves meaning there must be something which causes everything - Aquinas believes this to be God

Question 7

Contingent (Way 3)

Answer 7

Depending on something else to exist

Question 8

The third way

Answer 8

All physical things are contingent (they depend on something else to exist) so there must be a necessary being which isn’t contingent and is capable of brining things into existence

Question 9

Leibiniz quote

Answer 9

“Why is there something rather than nothing?”

Question 10

Leibiniz principle of sufficient reason

Answer 10

If something exists, there must be a reason for its existence

Question 11

Kant’s criticism

Answer 11

The necessary being is incoherent.
Our knowledge is limited to the phenomenal world (which we experience in time/space) and it is not possible to speculate about what may/may not exist outside of this.

Question 12

Bertrand Russel’s criticism

Answer 12

Aquinas is guilty of making a fallacy of composition through inferring that something is true of the whole from the fact that it is true for a part

Question 13

Hume’s criticism of inductive reasoning

Answer 13

Just because we have observed cause and effect in some parts of nature does not mean we can extend this principle to everything.

Question 14

A posteriori argument

Answer 14

Reasoning/knowledge based on evidence

Question 15

Hume’s 20 particles example

Answer 15

We can explain the reasons for each of the 20 particles being in place, but we don’t need to ask what the cause of the whole is.

Question 16

Inductive reasoning

Answer 16

The act of forming a generalization based on a set of specific observations.

Question 17

Hume’s criticism of cause and effect

Answer 17

They are simply correlations which generally occur together.

For example although every husband must have a wife, doesn’t mean that every man must be married.

Question 18

Hume on infinite regress

Answer 18

Why not accept it? There is no reason not to.

Question 19

Mackie on infinite regress

Answer 19

It is possible.

Question 20

Criticism of Hume and Mackie’s beliefs on infinite regress

Answer 20

Similarly, there is no empirical evidence to prove it is possible.

Question 21

Criticism of Hume’s rejection of inductive reasoning

Answer 21

We always collect observations to predict the future.

Question 22

Anscombe’s criticism of Hume

Answer 22

Humans always ask why.

Eg when a magician pulls a rabbit out of a hat, we believe there is a cause of this.

Question 23

Aquinas on infinite regress

Answer 23

It cant be possible because it leads to nothing.