Evaluation of the Cosmological argument Flashcards
What is a strength of Aquinas’ argument is his book ‘summa theologica’?
Aquinas’ argument gives people hope, people find comfort in the belief that God created the universe as it gives the impression that everything in the universe has a purpose instead of just existing.
What is Hume’s critique of Aquinas’ necessary existence argument?
Aquinas states that nothing can cause itself and things go back to infinity, if God is the cause of the universe then is there something that is the cause of God?
If God is his own cause, then why can’t the universe itself be its own cause?
Why is Aquinas’ necessary existence argument hypocritical?
If God has his won cause then Aquinas argument is hypocritical as God can cause itself but the universe cannot. it goes against the rules of his own argument by allowing god to be his own cause.
What is a weakness of Aquinas stating that God is eternal?
If God is eternal [like Aquinas states] then why is it not possible for the universe to also lack a beginning. - David Hume.
Why is David Hume against the cosmological argument?
He’s an empiricist he needs to see his empirical evidence to believe God created the universe.
Strength of the Cosmological argument [a posteriori strength] = ?
People are able to experience the cosmological argument first hand through their own experience of the world. The cosmological argument is an a posteriori argument based off our own experience. Thus it is easy to understand.
Weakness of a posteriori argument = ?
Hume argues that we as human have no experience of creating a universe [correct], we can only talk about things that we have experience of with some certainty, we have no experience of creating the universe and thus cannot talk meaningfully about that.
Weakness of Hume’s argument against a posteriori arguments?
Hume states we shouldn’t talk about the creation of the universe, does that mean we shouldn’t even try to answer the question of the universe, why we are here and why the universe was created?
David Humes challenge to inductive arguments [such as cosmological arguments] = ?
David Hume being an empiricist challenges the cosmological argument, there is no reason or evidence based on observations
that can establish whether or not the universe was caused, this is called empirical objection.
Who developed the Kalam argument?
Kalam argument was developed by William Lane Craig and was named after the islamic philosophy which initially developed the idea in the 11th century
What is the Kalam argument?
P1. Everything that begins to exist has a cause of its existence.
P2. The universe began to exist (an infinite regress is not possible).
C1. So, the universe has a cause of its existence.
The cause of the universe must have a personal explanation, i.e., intentionally created by an intelligent mind. This being must have the power to create a universe from nothing (ex nihilo). It must be outside time and space since it created time and space. As a timeless, eternal being, God did didn’t begin to exist so it’s then no contradiction in claiming that God doesn’t have a cause. These are qualities that God would have, so the cause of the universe is God.
Strength of the Kalam argument?
W.L. Craig argues against the possibility of an actual infinite using the analogy of a library with an infinite amount of books, half of which are red. Half of infinity is still infinity, so half of infinity is not actually smaller.
This might make sense theoretically, but Craig claims problems arise when applying it to reality as things can be both smaller and the same size as other infinities creating a paradoxical problem.
