The Existence Of God Arguments Flashcards
Explain the cosmological argument
The cosmological Argument (the first cause argument) was proposed by Thomas Aquinas. He reasoned that everything in our existence has come from something before it. He argued that the cycle couldn’t have started by itself but was started by something. There is a first cause that explains everything in our universe and because this first cause started everything else it must be eternal and uncaused. This must be god.
Explain the ontological argument
Proposed by a monk turned Archbishop called Anselm, the ontological argument (meaning concerning being) means that the argument is coming from the persons experience. Anselms theory is that we can see good things in the world, so there must be an ultimate good. In our imagination we can picture an ultimate good, but it is not just in our imaginations as good exists and so an ultimate good (God) exists.
Theists would agree that good in the world does point to God. Atheists however would say that it is a weak argument because just because one thing exists doesn’t mean another does.
How do theists and atheists respond to the teleological argument?
Paley’s analogical argument compares a complex watch to the universe, which theists would believe is logical because they can draw the link with the watch and the world with god.
Atheists however would argue that you cannot link things in the world which we know have a designer to things we don’t know have a designer.
How do theists and atheists respond to the cosmological Argument ?
Theists would agree because the life cycle did not come from nothing. Aristotle stated ‘The series must start with something, since nothing can come from nothing.’
Atheists would argue that this doesn’t explain where god came from. Some would argue that the life cycle could always have been in existence as much as a god could have.
What is another name for the First Cause argument ?
Cosmological Argument
Explain the teleological argument
The teleological (teleo - ‘telos’ the Greek word meaning the view that everything has purpose) argument was proposed by William Paley. He proposed that if you came across a watch, you would be impressed By the complexities of it. Each part of the watch must work perfectly in order for it to be able to tell time. A natural conclusion is that the watch had an intelligent designer, and not just through random chance. Palsy stated ‘it is inevitable that the watch must have had a maker’ therefore the intricate and complex world must have had an intelligent designer who is God
Who proposed the argument for First Cause?
St. Thomas Aquinas
