1A: Cosmological Argument

Question 1

What does inductive mean?

Answer 1

an argument constructed on POSSIBLY TRUE premises leading to a logically possible and persuasive conclusion. conclusion might be right or might be wrong. used to understand the MOST LIKELY explanation for something

Question 2

What does a posteriori mean?

Answer 2

dependent on experience and evidence to reach a conclusion

Question 3

What is an example of a posteriori?

Answer 3

every morning we see the sun rise, therefore we can conclude the sun will rise tomorrow

Question 4

What are the 2 features of Aquinas’ five ways?

Answer 4

inductive and a posteriori

Question 5

What is Aquinas’ first way?

Answer 5

motion

Question 6

What is motion?

Answer 6

change from potential to actual. things are put in motion by something else. nothing can move itself. the first mover is god

Question 7

What is an example of motion?

Answer 7

wood has the potential to be on fire. you need actual fire to change the fire from potential to actual

Question 8

What is Aquinas’ second way?

Answer 8

cause

Question 9

What is cause?

Answer 9

nothing causes itself to be, everything that exists was caused by something else, but something must have been the first cause

Question 10

What is Aquinas’ third way?

Answer 10

possibility and necessity (contingency)

Question 11

What is possibility and necessity?

Answer 11

that which does not exist only begins to exist by something else existing. everything is either subject to chance or necessary. everything has a possibility of existing, but those things have not always existed nor will they always exist. if there was a time when nothing existed, nothing would ever come to exist unless that thing was necessary. there must be a necessary being - god.

Question 12

Who originally developed the Cosmological Argument?

Answer 12

Plato

Question 13

What was Plato’s Cosmological Argument?

Answer 13

1. we experience change or motion in the universe
2. power to produce movement logically comes before power to receive it and pass it on
3. for movement to occur in the first place, the must be an uncaused cause (the first cause) to originate movement

Question 14

How did Aristotle develop the Cosmological Argument?

Answer 14

1. everything is in motion because of an agent
2. there is either an infinite chain/unmoved mover
3. infinite chain is nonsense- an unlimited amount of time would have to pass to reach to today, if it was unlimited and infinite then we cannot even reach today
4. therefore there is an unmoved mover

Question 15

What does “reducio ad absurdum” mean?

Answer 15

“reducio” - to reduce to/demonstrate absurdity
“absurdium” - nonsense/ridiculous

Question 16

What is the basis of the Cosmological Argument?

Answer 16

the universe cannot account for its own existence

Question 17

What 2 ways did Aquinas believe knowledge of god could be reached?

Answer 17

1. revelation
2. human reason
   - both believed to be a gift from god

Question 18

What 2 assumptions are Aquinas’ argument based on?

Answer 18

1. the universe exists
2. there must be a reason why

Question 19

What are Aristotle’s 4 causes?

Answer 19

1. material cause
2. formal cause
3. efficient cause
4. final cause

Question 20

What is the material cause?

Answer 20

what something is made of

Question 21

What is the formal cause?

Answer 21

what idea/design something is made to

Question 22

What is the efficient cause?

Answer 22

the agent that makes the thing. moves it from potential to actual

Question 23

What is the final cause (telos)?

Answer 23

why something is made (its purpose)

Question 24

What is a quote from Aquinas’ first way (motion)?

Answer 24

“motion is nothing else that the reduction of something from potentiality to actuality”

Question 25

What is a quote from Aquinas’ second way (cause)?

Answer 25

“there is no case in which a thing is found to be the efficient cause of itself”

Question 26

What is a quote from Aquinas’ third way (contingency)?

Answer 26

“if at one time nothing was in existence, it would have been impossible for anything to have begun to exist”

Question 27

In what 2 ways is the physical world contingent and what is an example to prove this?

Answer 27

1. they depend on something bringing them into existence
2. they depend on things for the continuation of their existence
   example; we depended on our parents to give us existence, but don’t need them to continue to exist. we need food and water to continue to exist

Question 28

What is the Kalam Argument?

Answer 28

all things with a beginning have a cause. since the universe has a beginning it must have a cause distinct from itself - god.

Question 29

Who developed the Kalam Argument?

Answer 29

Al-Kindhi and Al-Ghazali

Question 30

What is the key idea of the Kalam argument?

Answer 30

all things with a beginning must have a cause

Question 31

Who redeveloped the Kalam argument?

Answer 31

William Lane Craig

Question 32

What is the first part of Craig’s Kalam argument and what example does he use to support it?

Answer 32

the universe cannot be an actual infinite, it must have a beginning. whatever begins to exist must have a cause so god must exist as the first cause
- uses the example of the library with infinite books, demonstrates how infinite regress cannot happen in reality

Question 33

What is the second part of Craig’s Kalam argument?

Answer 33

the universe’s beginning was either caused or uncaused. a natural occurrence or a choice was made to bring it into existence.
since the rules of nature did not exist before the universe, the universe cannot be a result of natural causes. the universe must be god’s personal choice