Aquinas' Cosmological argument
- Created by: HayleyLikesTea
- Created on: 09-04-14 11:30
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- Aquinas' Cosmological argument
- About Aquinas
- Born in Italy (1224/5-1274)
- Book = Summa Theologica
- Attempted to answer every question of Christianity
- 5 ways
- 1st 3 are variations of cosmological arguments
- Knowledge of God can be gained in 2 ways
- 1= Revelation - God chooses to reveal the truth to people
- 2= Through human reason - Applying reason to evidence and using said evidence to argue God's existence
- Inductive and A Posteriori arguments
- Argument based on 2 assumptions
- 1 = The universe exists.
- Everyone (almost) agrees with this
- 2 = There must be a reason why.
- Not all agree with this
- Bertrand Russell
- Richard Dawkins
- Not all agree with this
- 1 = The universe exists.
- 1st way = Prime mover
- Everything that is in motion must of been put into motion
- This sequence cannot be infinate
- Must be an 'unmoved mover' that started the whole chain
- This sequence cannot be infinate
- Everything that is in motion must of been put into motion
- 2nd way = Cause and Effect
- Nothing causes itself
- Must be a 1st cause = GOD
- God = Something which causes itself.
- Must be a 1st cause = GOD
- Nothing causes itself
- 3rd way = Necessity and Contingency
- Everything in the physical world is contingent (depends on something else)
- Contingent in 2 ways
- Need something to bring them into existence (e.g. parents)
- Need things to keep them in existence (e.g. Sun light)
- Must be a necessary being that brought everything else into existence
- GOD!
- Contingent in 2 ways
- Everything in the physical world is contingent (depends on something else)
- About Aquinas
- Basis of a Cosmological argument = "Why is there something rather than nothing?"
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