Topic 4 (Year 12): Cosmological argument Flashcards
(19 cards)
Cosmos definition.
The world/universe as a perfect and well ordered system.
Contingency definition.
Being reliant on something/someone else.
Infinite regress definition.
A never-ending series of causes and effects that seems to have no starting point.
Temperal definition.
Within time and space.
Eternal definition.
Outside of time and space.
Fallacy of composition definition.
What is observed about the parts cannot be assumed to be the same for the whole.
A posteriori definition.
An argument nased on sense experience and observations of evidence.
Who set out the Kalam argument?
Al-Kindi and Al-Ghazali.
What does the Kalam argument state?
- Everything that begins has a cause for its existence.
- The universe began to exist.
- Therefore, the universe must a cause.
What is Aquinas’ 1st way?
The way from motion.
It states that nothing can move or change itself and there cannot be an infinite regress of movers. This means there must be an unmoved mover who cannot be moved or changed but started the chain. This is God.
What is Aquinas’ 2nd way?
The way from causation.
Nothing can be it’s own cause and there is no infinite regress. There must be a first cause, which is God.
What in Aquinas’ 3rd way?
The way from necessity and contingency.
Every thing is contingent on something, there must have been a necessary being that brought things into existence. This necessary being is God.
What was Gottfried Leibnitz’s slight alternative to Aquinas’ arguments?
Where Aquinas said that every event must have a cause, Leibnitz said that every event must have sufficient reason for its happening.
What is Leibnitz’s Ultimate Reason?
The Ultimate Reason why there is something rather than nothing must come from outside this world.
What does Leibnitz call God?
A necessary being which is capable of creating existence.
What are Hume’s criticisms?
1 - Why pressume there is a need for a cause?
2 - Why look for an explanation of the whole?
3 - Is the concept of a necessary being meaningful?
Who was atheist - Russell or Copleston?
Russell.
What is the outline of Copleston’s argument? (P1-4, C1-2)
P1 - Everything in the universe is contingent.
P2 - The universe is the aggregate of all things in it.
C1 - Therefore, the universe is contingent.
P3 - Contingent things require an explanation.
P4 - An infinite regress of explorations is not an exploration.
C2 - Therefore, an entity that posses necessary existence is needed to explain the universe.
What is the outline of Russell’s argument?
- ‘God exists’ is a synthetic proposition, it cannot be necessary.
- Doesn’t believe there’s a ‘total explanation’ for something existing, and he doesn’t thing we should assume or expect this explanation.
