existence of god-observation-cosmological

Question 1

Way 1

Answer 1

The unmoved mover
all things that are moved are moved by something else
(this can’t go into infinite regress as there would be no 1st mover)

Question 2

Way 2

Answer 2

The uncaused causer
nothing can be its own efficient cause
(this can’t go into infinite regress as would mean there was no first cause of everything
uncaused causer: God

Question 3

Way 3

Answer 3

Contingency + necessity
everything in universe is contingent
must be type of being that isn’t contingent- necessary being

Question 4

Aquinas’s cosmological argument is convincing

Answer 4

-can observe all the 3 ways: motion, cause and effect, contingency
-from observations, can infer there must be a first mover, causer and necessary being- God
-Aquinas seeks to explain how and why universe exists

Question 5

Aquinas’s cosmological argument isn’t convincing

Answer 5

-our perception of cause isn’t necessarily accurate- correlation can be imposed
-just as possible that infinite regress is real rather than a 1st causer
-universe might be necessary- Hume- no need for mover
-nothing can be its own efficient cause- Aristotle
- to ask what caused the universe is pointless and unanswerable- Russel
-leap
-Natural disasters- what is their purpose?
-no answer points to a causeless universe
-causation is a psychological concept-can’t make links between cause and effect that is beyond our experience- not necessary to suppose everything has a cause
-

Question 6

Challenging Hume- supporting cosmological argument

Answer 6

-Modern science suggests there is a definite beginning to the universe
-we need faith to make the final leap
-where do biological laws come from?
-we can explain something we have no experience of
-God doesn’t have to share all the same characteristics as a human designer
-why shouldn’t there be a special case,God, to explain the universe

Question 7

Hume’s criticisms of the cosmological argument

Answer 7

-when we apply principle of cause and effect to anything outside of our experience we are making an inductive leap
-fallacy of composition-because parts of universe have a cause does’t mean whole universe does
-infinite regress doesn’t’t have to be impossible- just because is hard to imagine for Aquinas