cosmological argument revision (gjw)
TRANSCRIPT
8/2/2019 Cosmological Argument Revision (GJW)
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/cosmological-argument-revision-gjw 1/21
The Cosmological
Argument
8/2/2019 Cosmological Argument Revision (GJW)
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/cosmological-argument-revision-gjw 2/21
Background
• The argument states that the universerequires a cause and an explanation: God.
• ‘Cosmological’ comes from cosmos (Greekfor world); it is concerned with the cause of the world.
• The argument is a posteriori , inductive andsynthetic.
• The first cosmological argument was that of Aristotle, who claimed that God was the‘Prime Mover’ – the original source of motion
in our world.
8/2/2019 Cosmological Argument Revision (GJW)
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/cosmological-argument-revision-gjw 3/21
Saint Thomas Aquinas
8/2/2019 Cosmological Argument Revision (GJW)
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/cosmological-argument-revision-gjw 4/21
Saint Thomas Aquinas
• Aquinas looks back to Aristotle.
• He gives three cosmological arguments.• These form the first three of his famous
Five Ways – five proofs for God.
8/2/2019 Cosmological Argument Revision (GJW)
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/cosmological-argument-revision-gjw 5/21
The First Way
• This is the argument from motion, taken
directly from Aristotle:
1. All things which move have a cause of motion.2. There must have been some original source
of motion, unmoved by anything else.
3. This we call God, the ‘unmoved mover’.
8/2/2019 Cosmological Argument Revision (GJW)
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/cosmological-argument-revision-gjw 6/21
The Second Way
• This is the argument from causality:
1. Everything which exists must have a
cause of its existence.
2. There cannot be an infinite chain of
causes stretching back into the past.
3. There must have been some first causeuncaused by anything else.
4. This we call God, the ‘uncaused cause’.
8/2/2019 Cosmological Argument Revision (GJW)
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/cosmological-argument-revision-gjw 7/21
The Third Way
• This is the argument from contingency.1. Everything which exists is dependent on
something else for its existence and might at
some stage not exist (this means it iscontingent).
2. At one stage, everything did not exist.
3. There must be some thing dependent onnothing else for its existence, the source of all
contingent things.
4. This we call God, who must exist.
8/2/2019 Cosmological Argument Revision (GJW)
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/cosmological-argument-revision-gjw 8/21
How do I write a paragraph on
Aquinas?• Mention his Five Ways and his debt to
Aristotle.
• Distinguish between the three arguments
he gives, giving a sentence or two to
explain each one.
• Practice makes perfect – redraft the
paragraph and time yourself for speed.
8/2/2019 Cosmological Argument Revision (GJW)
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/cosmological-argument-revision-gjw 9/21
Criticisms of Aquinas
• His statement that all things have a cause
of their existence or motion seems to be
contradicted by the claim that God is
uncaused. Why make an exception?
• The argument may prove that the universe
has a cause, but not that this is God.
• Hume – there is no absurdity in suggesting
that some events do not have a cause.
8/2/2019 Cosmological Argument Revision (GJW)
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/cosmological-argument-revision-gjw 10/21
Kalam Cosmological
Argument
8/2/2019 Cosmological Argument Revision (GJW)
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/cosmological-argument-revision-gjw 11/21
al Ghazali
• The Muslim scholar who developed theKalam argument raised some interestingquestions about infinity:
1.In an infinite library, which would begreater – the total number of books or thenumber of books with green spines?
2.If we borrowed a book from an infinitelibrary, would the total number of booksdecrease?
8/2/2019 Cosmological Argument Revision (GJW)
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/cosmological-argument-revision-gjw 12/21
Al Ghazali
8/2/2019 Cosmological Argument Revision (GJW)
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/cosmological-argument-revision-gjw 13/21
So…
• al Ghazali argued that ‘actual infinities’ are
impossible.
• It then follows that the universe cannot be
infinite.
• It must have had a beginning and cause of
its existence.
• This would be God.
8/2/2019 Cosmological Argument Revision (GJW)
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/cosmological-argument-revision-gjw 14/21
William Lane Craig
• He has developed a modern form of the
argument:
1.The universe had a beginning.
2.That beginning was caused.
3.That cause was probably personal(making the choice to create).
4.Therefore God exists.
8/2/2019 Cosmological Argument Revision (GJW)
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/cosmological-argument-revision-gjw 15/21
William Lane Craig through the ages
8/2/2019 Cosmological Argument Revision (GJW)
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/cosmological-argument-revision-gjw 16/21
Criticisms of Craig
• The universe might be infinite (steady
state theory, etc.).
• The cause of the universe might not have
involved any deliberate choice; it might
have been entirely impersonal.
8/2/2019 Cosmological Argument Revision (GJW)
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/cosmological-argument-revision-gjw 17/21
Evaluation
8/2/2019 Cosmological Argument Revision (GJW)
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/cosmological-argument-revision-gjw 18/21
Strengths of the Argument
• a posteriori and inductive: it is based onideas we can observe and verify – objectshave causes, the universe began.
• Most scientists would agree that theuniverse had a beginning (Big Bang).
• It is natural to ask why the universe
began, and science has not yet answeredthis.
• Copleston – if all things have a cause,surely it makes sense for the universe to
have a cause.
8/2/2019 Cosmological Argument Revision (GJW)
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/cosmological-argument-revision-gjw 19/21
Criticisms/Weaknesses
• Immanuel Kant – causality may be somethingimposed on experiences by the mind; it is not
truly real. So, it can only apply to things we
experience, which does not include the creationof the universe.
• All the argument proves is a cause. It fails to
prove the existence of God in traditional terms:loving, powerful, etc .
• Russell: The universe is just here and that is all;
we don’t need to ask why. It is “a brute fact”.
8/2/2019 Cosmological Argument Revision (GJW)
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/cosmological-argument-revision-gjw 20/21
Frederick Copleston
Bertrand Russell
8/2/2019 Cosmological Argument Revision (GJW)
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/cosmological-argument-revision-gjw 21/21
Something to think about…
• It may be the case that some cosmological
arguments are stronger than others.
• Exam questions ask you about ‘the
cosmological’ argument, but there are
many different types. Perhaps one stands
up to criticism, but other arguments do not.
• Also, think about links with the design
argument – what strengths and
weaknesses do they share?