Cosmological Argument- Lain Craig's kalam argument

Question 1

Outline of Kalam CA (including WLC conclusion)

Answer 1

1. Everything that begins to exist has a cause of its existence
2. The Universe began to exist
3. => the universe has a cause of existence

Question 2

Argument 1 support

Answer 2

• empirically seems true

- the uniformity of our experience makes things credible

Question 3

Argument 1 criticisms

Answer 3

• Vilenkin’s Quantum physics shows that particles on a sub-atomic level come into existence ‘ex nihilo’
  CP: quantum behaviour has only been observed in an artificial lab => no way of knowing if they have a general tendency to exist ‘ex nihilo’

Question 4

Argument 2 support

Answer 4

• Hubert’s Hotel Paradox shows that it is logically possible for an infinite entity to exist
• Big Bang agrees with KA as the past is finite and the universe did indeed begin to exist as some pint (14 billion years)

Question 5

Argument 2 criticisms

Answer 5

Cantor’s set theory suggests infinities don’t exist

Question 6

William Lane Craig’s addition

Answer 6

ultimate cause of the universe must be a Being and it makes sense to regard this Being as uncaused and to link this Being with the God of traditional religion
- sounds like ‘special pleading’, adding something into an argument to make it come up with a conclusion you want