quotes

Question 1

what’s David Hummes ship analogy

Answer 1

if we survey a ship what an exalted idea must we form of ingenuity of the carpenter who framed so complicated, useful and a beautiful machine? and what surprize must we feel, when we find him a stupid mechanic , who imitatedd others , and copied an art.

Question 2

what’s Paley’s natural theology

Answer 2

this mechanism being observed…the inference, we think is inevitable, that the watch must have a maker….

Question 3

“God cannot be….

Answer 3

conceived not to exist” Anselm, Proslogium

Question 4

“God is…a being than which…..

Answer 4

nothing greater can be conceived.” Anselm, Proslogium

Question 5

“That which can be conceived

Answer 5

not to exist is not God.” Anselm, Proslogium

Question 6

It is possible to conceive of…..

Answer 6

“the most perfect and real lost island.” Gaunilo of Marmoutiers, Responsio

Question 7

“It is just as much of a contradiction…..

Answer 7

to think of God…lacking existence…as it is to think of a mountain without a valley.” Rene Descartes

Question 8

“It is quite evident that existence can no more…..

Answer 8

be separated from the essence of God than…[three-sidedness] …can be separated from the essence of a triangle.” Rene Descartes

Question 9

“Existence is…..

Answer 9

not a real predicate.” Immanuel Kant

Question 10

If you then say, ‘Oh, and…..

Answer 10

by the way, the Thalers exist’, nothing has been added.” Immanuel Kant

Question 11

“I thank thee, gracious Lord…..

Answer 11

if l were unwilling to believe that thou dost exist, I should not be able not to understand this to be true.” Anselm, Proslogium

Question 12

“The fool says in his heart,….

Answer 12

‘There is no God.’” Psalm 14:1

Question 13

Faith seeking understanding means…..

Answer 13

“…an active love of God seeking a deeper knowledge of God.”

Question 14

“…heaven’s vault is crisscrossed with information arrows…

Answer 14

From our perch in the universe…we see that those arrowlets.” Loewenstein

Question 15

“We find in nature things that are possible

Answer 15

to be and not to be…if at one time nothing was in existence, it would have been impossible for anything…to exist…Therefore, we…postulate the existence of some being having…necessity…This all men speak of as God.” Aquinas

Question 16

“Every man who exists has a mother, and

Answer 16

it seems to me your argument is that therefore the human race must have a mother, but obviously the human race hasn’t a mother - that’s a different logical sphere.” Russell
“Why may not the material universe be the necessarily-existent Being…?” Hume

Question 17

“Think…of proving…sub-atomic particles exist…

Answer 17

there is nothing illogical, nothing contradictory in supposing that there are no such particles. But given the evidence we now have it is…unreasonable…” Hughe

Question 18

“The chain of explanations will be complete and satisfying only if

Answer 18

the chain will end when it reaches something which…exists necessarily…when one gets to a Necessary Being.” Hughes

Question 19

“…differences between bliks about the world cannot

Answer 19

be settled by observation of what happens in the world…no proof could be given to make us adopt one blik rather than…another…” Hare