The Cosmological Argument
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- Created on: 07-04-18 18:05
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- The
Cosmological
Argument
- Copleston
1947 Radio
debate with
Bertrand
Russell The
Self explanatory
Being
- - There are
things in the
universe which
are contingent
– that is there
was a time
when they did
not exist e.g.
you and me
- - Everything
in the world
is like this.
Nothing in the
worldcontains
within itself the
reason for its
own existence
i.e.nothing
is selfexplanatory.
- The cause
of everything
must be
outside of
the world.
- This cause must contain within itself the reason for its own existence. It must be self -explanatory. It must be a necessary being.
- - This being is God.
- The cause
of everything
must be
outside of
the world.
- - Everything
in the world
is like this.
Nothing in the
worldcontains
within itself the
reason for its
own existence
i.e.nothing
is selfexplanatory.
- - There are
things in the
universe which
are contingent
– that is there
was a time
when they did
not exist e.g.
you and me
- Thomas
Aquinas
(1225 – 1274)
Summa
Theologica
- - Motion > Prime Mover (The Unmoved Mover) Everything is in motion. Everything is moved by something else. There isn’t an infinite chain. There must be a Prime Mover. This is God.
- - Cause >First Cause (The Uncaused Cause) Everything has a cause. There cannot be an infinite regress of causes. There must be a first cause that was not caused. - Contingency >Necessary Being (The argument from necessity)
- Something that is necessary relies on itself alone for existence. Something that is contingent requires other factors for its existence. Everything in the universe relies on something else for its existence. At one point there was nothing. Nothing comes from nothing. There must have been a necessary being which is the cause of contingent beings
- Leibniz & amp;
the Principle
of Sufficient
reason:
- There must be
a reason why
the Universe
is the way it is
rather than not.
- Infinite regress is not an answer (partial explanation) - Pointing to a God who is the reason for his own existence (necessary) is a sufficient explanation.
- There must be
a reason why
the Universe
is the way it is
rather than not.
- Strength
- It seems to be based on reason and logic.
- Helps belief in God to seem reasonable – contingency and necessity.
- Coheres with experience – cause and effect
- Answers the question, ‘Why is there anything at all?’
- Could potentially work with scientific ideas such as the Big Bang.
- Weakness
- Bertrand Russell 1947 Radio debate with Copleston. Universe is a brute fact – no need to ask the question! You can’t apply the same logic to the specific and the general. No such thing as a necessary being. Just because you have a Mother doesn’t mean the Universe does!Other weaknesses:- Is infinite regress really impossible?- Could have been chance
- Hume Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion(1778) -Fallacy of composition: the logical error of assuming that what is the case for one thing is the case for the whole thing e.g. a human is caused therefore the whole world must have been caused. - He is arguing that Aquinas & amp; Leibniz are wrong to say that because we can see causation there must be a cause of the whole thing.
- Copleston
1947 Radio
debate with
Bertrand
Russell The
Self explanatory
Being
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