Thomas Aquinas

Question 1

his thoughts were written in his book

Answer 1

Summa Theologica - five ways which prove Gods existence

Question 2

He based a lost of his ideas on the study of who?

Answer 2

Ancient Greek philosophers Al Kindi and Al Ghazali

Question 3

Aquinas asked what?

Answer 3

Is it ovbious there is a God?

- is answer was no because God is beyond direct human experience

Question 4

can God be made obvious?

Answer 4

Yes - since the universe is God’s creation

Question 5

Aquinas’ First way?

Answer 5

Motion

• nothing can directly move itself yet things are evidently in motion
• in order for things to change and move something must have set them off
• is we follow chain of movement back the first prime mover is God

Question 6

Aquinas rejected what?

Answer 6

Infinite regress

Question 7

Aquinas’ second way?

Answer 7

Causation

• everything that happens has a cause and things cannot cause themselves, they must be caused by something else
• (domino affect- something pushed the first domino)
• the first cause Aquinas states is God

Question 8

Aquinas’ third way?

Answer 8

Contingency/ Necessity

• everything is contingent (has a beginning and an end) including the universe
• everything that exists was brought into existence by something else (you brought into existence by your parents)
• Aquinas argued because the universe exists, something must have purposefully brought it into existence
• this is God he exists necessarily and not contingently