The Cosmological Argument

Question 1

Inductive argument

Answer 1

Aims to build a case which leads us to a conclusion, it aims to persuade us the conclusion is reasonable not prove it to us.

Question 2

The book Thomas of Aquinas put forward his five ways in

Answer 2

The Summa Theologica

Question 3

way 1

Answer 3

Aquinas’ First way or the argument from motion

Question 4

Way 2

Answer 4

Aquinas’ second way or the argument from causation

Question 5

Aquinas’ third way

Answer 5

The argument from contingency

Question 6

Explain the argument from causation

Answer 6

• everything in the world has a cause
• nothing is the cause of itself
• there cannot be an infinite regress of causes
• therefore there has to be a first cause to start the chain if causes
• this first cause we call God

Question 7

Explain the argument from contingency

Answer 7

• everything in the world is contingent (can either exist or not exist)
• if things cannot exist there must be a time when they didn’t exist
• if everything in the world cannon exist there must have been a time when nothings existed
• things exist now so there must be something which we all depend on which brought us into existence
• this must be a necessary being which all other contingent beings came from
• this necessary being we call God

Question 8

Explain the argument from motion

Answer 8

• everything in the world is moving or changing
• nothing can move or change by itself
• there cannot be an infinite regress of things changing other things
• there must be a prime mover
• this is called God

Question 9

Thomas of Aquinas

Answer 9

13th century philosopher

Question 10

Explain Hume’s first criticism

Answer 10

To move from “everything in the universe is contingent” to “the universe itself must be contingent” isn’t logical and is too big a leap for logic

Question 11

Explain Hume’s second criticism

Answer 11

Why must there be a prime mover? Could there not be many Gods working on a committee of gods? Why must the prime mover be identified with the Christian concept of God?

Question 12

Explain Hume’s third criticism

Answer 12

Just because everything in our world is governed by cause and effect it doesn’t mean the universe had to have a cause. Couldn’t the universe be infinite?

Question 13

Explain How Hume challenge the idea of cause and effect

Answer 13

We perceive causation might just be a statistical conjunction. If a person goes up to someone and pushes them over. We see the first person going and pushing someone, and the second person falling over. Because we have seen this before we interpret the action to be the effect of pushing someone is to cause another person to fall over.

Question 14

How did Copleston reformulate Aquinas’ argument

Answer 14

Concentrated on the argument for contingency

Question 15

What was Coplestons argument for contingency?

Answer 15

• There are things in this world that are contingent-they might not have existed
• all things in the world are like this: everything depends on something else for it’s existence
• therefore there must be a cause of everything in the universe which exist outside the universe
• this cause must be a necessary being: one which contains reason for existence wishing itself
• this necessary being is God

Question 16

What did both Copleston and Russell agree on

Answer 16

The definition of God “a supreme personal being-distinct from the world and creator of the world

Question 17

Russel didn’t accept the idea of what?

Answer 17

A necessary being-a being which cannot be thought not to exist

Question 18

Russel said the universe was?

Answer 18

Brute fact

He also said “I should say the universe is just there, and that’s all”

Question 19

What was without explanation in Russell eyes?

Answer 19

The universe

Question 20

A posteriori argument

Answer 20

Based on evidence