Cosmological Argument Flashcards
What is Aquinas’ First Way?
This is the argument for motion, taken directly from Aristotle
- All moving things have a source of motion
- There must have been some original source of motion, un moved by anything else
- This we call God, the “unmoved mover”.
What is Aquinas’ Second Way?
This is the argument for causality
- Everything which exists must have a cause of its existence
- There cannot be an infinite chain of causes stretching back into the past
- There must have been some first cause uncaused by anything else
- This we call God, the ‘uncaused cause’
What is Aquinas’ Third Way?
This is the argument for contingency
- Everything which exists is dependent on something else for its existence and might at some stage not exist
- At one stage, everything did not exist
- There must be something dependent on nothing else for its existence, the source of all contingent things
- This we call god, who must exist
What did al Ghazali argue?
He argues that actual infinities are impossible. It then follows that the universe cannot be infinite. It must have had a beginning and a cause of its existence. This would be God
What did William Lane Craig argue first?
- the universe must be finite
- a finite universe had a beginning
- whatever began to exist had a cause, as things can’t cause themselves
- therefore the universe had a first cause of its existence
- this first cause is god
What are some criticisms of Craigs argument?
- The universe might be infinite
- The cause of the universe might not have involved any deliberate choice; it might have been entirely impersonal
What are some strengths of the cosmological argument?
- The argument is a posteriori and inductive: it is based on ideas we can observe and verify.
- most scientists would agree that the universe had a beginning (the Big Bang)
- it is natural to ask why the universe began, and science has not yet answered this
What are some criticisms of this argument?
- Emanuel Kant said that causality may be something imposed on experiences by the mind; it is not truly real. So, it can only apply to things we experience, which does not include the creation of the universe.
- all the argument proves is a cause. It fails to provide existence of God in traditional terms: loving, powerful, all knowing etc
What is contingent existence?
Something that relies on something else for its existence
What is necessary existence?
Something that doesn’t rely on anything else for its existence I.e it doesn’t have a cause
What is Ockham’s razor?
The idea that the simplest explanation is usually the best. Many philosophers believe that God created the universe is a simpler (and therefore better) explanation then it all just been chance
What is a potential infinite?
A potential infinite exists if it is always possible to add one more to a series of things or events
What is an actual infinite?
Actual infinite exist if the group contains an infinite number of members
What did Craig argue second?
- if the universe had a beginning, then it was either caused or uncaused either a natural occurrence or a choice was made to bring the universe into existence
- the argument depends on the belief that God created the universe ex nihilo. If the universe was created out of nothing, then the beginning of the universe was the beginning of time. There must have been a personal agent existing outside time to start the process of creation
What are some criticisms that Hume makes of the cosmological argument using empirical evidence?
- why must we conclude that the universe had to have a beginning?
- assuming God is the first cause = undesirable conclusions If the wish is to demonstrate the God of classical theism
- similar effects doesn’t equal similar causes
