Cosmological arguments

Question 1

What is a cosmological argument?

Answer 1

Cosmological arguments are based on observations on God’s ability to create the universe.

Question 2

What are the main points of Aquinas cosmological arguments?

Answer 2

The first 3 of Aquinas’ five ways are variations of his cosmological argument:

1) The first way is the unmoved mover- we must observe motion and change in the world. There must be a reason for it, which must be God

2) The second way is the uncaused causer- we observe chains of cause and effect in the world.
There must be reason for it, which must be God.

3) The third way is Contingency- we observe that everything in the universe depends on something else for its existence. There must be something that doesn’t depend on anything else, otherwise nothing would ever have started. Therefore, this must be God.

Question 3

What is the formalisation of Aquinas’ first way ?

Answer 3

1) There are things in motion
2) These things in motion need to be put in motion by someone else.
3) This series of putting in motion must terminate in a first mover
- >Therefore, God exists as the prime mover.

Question 4

What is the formalisation of Aquinas’ second way?

Answer 4

1) All things require a prior efficient cause
2) Nothing can cause itself and so must be caused by something else.
3) This series of causes must terminate in a first cause
- >Therefore, God exists as the first cause.

Question 5

What is the formalisation of Aquinas’ third way?

Answer 5

1) There are things that exist contingently
2) If things exist contingently, there is a time at which it does not exist.
3) If everything exists contingently, then there is a time at which nothing exists, and so nothing would currently exist.
- >As things exist, there is not a time at which nothing exists and so not everything exists contingently- there must be things that exists necessarily.

4) Things that exist necessarily must be caused by some other necessary thing
5) This series of necessary things must terminate in a first necessit.
- >Therefore, God exists as a first necessity.

Question 6

What are the evaluations of the cosmological argument?

Answer 6

+ we all share the experience that earth exists, God is the best possible explanation

• Chance, argued by Humes the appearance of design could come about by chance(Epicurean hypothesis)
• Disorder argued by Humes, disorder and evil challenge the idea of a good designer, challenges the idea of God being the cause of the universe.
• Russel argues that the universe is a brute fact, something that cannot be explained