Theme 1 (Inductive Arguments for the existence of God) Flashcards
COSMOLOGICAL ARGUMENT
What is the First Cause Theory?
It tries to prove the existence if God and is concerned with finding an explanation for the universe.
What was Aquinas’ Cosmological Argument?
- everything that exists was caused to exist
-the universe exists so it too must have a cause - there had to be something first that was not caused by anything to create the universe
-the eternal cause is God (so he exists)
What are Aquinas’ first 3 ways?
- motion or change
- cause and effect
- contingency and necessity
Explain Aquinas’ first way
- Whatever is in motion is put in motion by another
- A Prime Mover is something which has not been/cannot be moved by anything and is responsible for initiating the sequence of change
- God is the prime mover
What did Aristotle think relating to motion?
- Things can only move from a state of potentiality to a state of actuality if acted on by something already in a state of actuality (efficient cause)
e.g block of marble becoming a statue when acted upon by a sculptor
Explain Aquinas’ second way
- Infinite regress is impossible
- The first/efficient cause starts a domino effect
- This cause is God
Explain Aquinas’ third way
- In order for contingent beings to exist there has to be a non-contingent
- There must have been a necessary being that brought about everything else into existence
- The necessary being is God
What does Kalam mean?
+ who was the man who restored the popularity of the Kalam Cosmological Argument?
to argue or discuss in Arabic
Christian apologist William Lane Craig in 1993
What is the first part of the Kalam Cosmological Argument?
1) Everything that begins to exist has a cause
2) The universe began to exist
3) Therefore. the universe has a cause of its existence
4) Since science has no explanation of this, the cause must be a personal agent
What is the second part of the Kalam Cosmological Argument?
- Actual infinite cannot exist (only potential infinite)
- A beginningless temporal series of events is an actual infinite
- Therefore this cannot exist
What is an actual infinite?
What is a potential infinite?
Something that has no beginning or end
Something that could continue on forever if effort were applied
How did Craig use potential infinite to prove God created the world?
+ his analogy
As the universe cannot be an actual infinite it must be a potential infinite. Therefore, it can only exist with external support which is a personal creator (God).
+ water freezing
2 Strengths and 2 Agreements of the Cosmological Argument
- Argument based on empirical evidence
- Science has not answered all the questions so other arguments must be considered
- Oakham’s Razor - The simplest explanation tends to be correct which in this case is God.
- Aristotle - “nothing can come from nothing, so everything must have a cause”
3 Disagreements with the Cosmological Argument
- Bertrand Russel
Could the universe be the exception instead of God to the rule that everything is cause to exist? - David Hume
We didn’t experience the beginning of the universe so we cannot make assumptions about its creation - Immanuel Kant
We didn’t experience the beginning of the universe so we cannot know it was caused by anything
Cosmological Argument quotes
1) Aristotle?
2) Aquinas?
3) Craig?
1) “nothing can come from nothing so everything must have a cause”
2) “to take away the cause is to take away the effect”
“in the world some things are in motion”
3) “if God does not exist then life is objectively meaningless”
TELEOLOGICAL ARGUMENT
What is the Teleological Argument?
It uses the observation of apparent order and regularity to conclude that the universe was not the result of chance but of design (designer is God)
What does the Teleological Argument state?
1) The universe has order, regularity and purpose
2) The complexity of the universe shows evidence of a design
3) Such design implies a designer
4) The designer of the universe is God
Who were the 3 key Philosophers of the Teleological Argument?
+ their books
Paley (Natural Theology)
Aquinas (Summa Theologica)
Tennant (Philosophical Theology)
What did Paley develop about the Teleological Argument?
If we were to discover a watch we would come to the conclusion that it had been designed by a designer/ watchmaker as it is a very complicated system which works together to achieve an end goal (telos)
Our universe is also very complicated inferring a designer and this designer is God
What did Aquinas put forward about the Teleological Argument?
+ what example did he use for this argument?
Formed his fifth way
That everything in our universe follows natural laws even if they possess no intelligence. By doing this and fulfilling a purpose or telos it suggest that something is directing them.
The only explanation for this guidance was from an intelligent being ( God)
+ an arrow
What did Fredrick Tennant do as part of the Teleological Argument?
+ what did this consist of?
He developed a ‘new’ version of the argument which combined both science and religious belief
+ two principles (Anthropic & Aesthetic)
What was Tennant’s Anthropic Principle?
(and its 3 parts)
He believed that there were different types of natural evidence in the world in favour of a divine creator:
1) the natural world provides us with precisely the correct things in life for it to be sustainable
2) the natural world can be observed and also deduced in a rational manor
3) the process of evolution, through natural selection has led to the development of intelligent life
What was Tennant’s Aesthetic Principle?
To have appreciation of beautiful things
- He noticed that the world is ordered and appears to be beautiful at all levels
- Humans don’t need this beauty to survive (e.g music)
- Therefore, God who is a benevolent being created the world as he wanted people to not just survive but enjoy living in the world
Tennant Quote- Aesthetic Principle
+ meaning
“God reveals himself in many ways;and some men enter His Temple by the Gate Beautiful”
(the beauty of the natural world led to intelligent human life developing and proves God’s existence)
