the cosmological argument

Question 1

what kind of argument is the cosmological argument

Answer 1

• a posteriori
• inductive

Question 2

what is Aquinas’s third way

Answer 2

• based on contingency and necessity
• everything in the cosmos is contingent and has a cause
• therefore to avoid infinite regress there must be an uncaused cause
• this uncaused cause is god

Question 3

what are russells criticisms of the cosmological argument

Answer 3

• russell argued that aquinas was guilty of the fallacy of composition
• the existence of the universe is unexplainable and brute fact
• hume and russell rejected the concept of a necessary being

Question 4

what were humes criticisms of the cosmological argument

Answer 4

• hume suggested that the universe might be a necessarily existent being (occams razor)
  
  • the conclusion that requires the least
    assumptions is probably true
• infinite regress
• doesn’t prove christian god

Question 5

what is the fallacy of composition

Answer 5

• what is true of the parts is not necessarily true of the whole
• just because what we see in the world is caused, does not mean the universe itself has a cause

Question 6

weaknesses of the cosmological argument

Answer 6

• fallacy of composition
• the universe might just be brute fact
• why one necessary being

Question 7

strengths of the cosmological argument

Answer 7

• the fallacy of composition doesnt always apply
  
  • each of the 50 states of the US is in the
    northern hemisphere
  • the usa is in the northern hemisphere
• occams razor supports the idea if a single being

Question 8

arguments why the cosmological argument does not prove the existence of god

Answer 8

• only deductive arguments can be absolute proof
• it will never convince atheists

Question 9

arguments that the cosmological argument proves the existence of god

Question 10

arguments that the cosmological argument proves the existence of god

Answer 10

• most things we accept as true are inductive and accepted as true beyond reasonable doubt
• nothing would convince an atheist

Question 11

arguments that the cosmological argument has value for religious faith

Answer 11

• a reasonable hypothesis: alternative explanations for the origin of the universe have no greater probability
• the concept is easy to understand: it is accessible
• supported by the design argument

Question 12

arguments that the cosmological argument does not have value for religious faith

Answer 12

• not all theists accept it
• doesnt prove god of Christian monotheism