The Cosmological Argument (Philosophy AQA)

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  • Created by: just10
  • Created on: 13-04-17 16:57

The Cosmological Argument

Cosmological Argument

- Inductive

- a posteriori

Concept that the universe depended on something else to cause its existence

Content:

Arguments from causation

- Aquinas 1st and 2nd way

- Kalam Argument

- Descartes Cosmological argument

Hume Critic

Aquinas argument from contingency

Russel Critic

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Aquinas's 1st way - Motion (Causation Arguments)

Argument from motion

1) In the world, things are in motion

2) Whatever is in motion, was put into motion by something else (Nothing can move itself)

3) However, There cannot be an infinite regress

4) There must have been a first unmoved mover

5) The first mover must be God

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Aquinas's 2nd way - Causation (Causation Arguments

Argument of causation

1) There are causes and effects

2) Anything caused has to be caused by something else (Nothing can cause itself)

3) However, there cannot be an infinite regress of causes

4) There must have been a first uncaused causer

5) The first causer must be God

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The Kalam Argument (Causation Argument)

The Kalam Argument

Everything that has a beginning in time, has a cause of it's existence

1) Of anything that began to exist, has a cause of it's existence

2) The universe began to exist (Had a beginning of it's existence)

3) The universe had a cause of its existence

4) The causer must be God

Must have been a time when the universe didn't exist, then something caused it to exist.

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Descartes Cosmological Argument (Causation Argumen

Descartes Cosmological Argument (Simplified)

1) If I caused my existence, I would give myself all perfections

2) I do not have all perfections, so I am not the cause of my own existence

3) I depend on something else to exist

4) Whatever caused my existence is either the cause of its own existence or is caused by another cause

5) However there cannot be an infinite regress of causes

6) So some cause must be the causer of its own existence (Caused itself/ first causer)

7) This must be God

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David Hume Criticism of Causation Arguments

Hume criticisms of the causation arguments

1) The causal principle

"Everything has a cause"  - This is not analytic

--> Not certain and we can deny it without contradicting ourselves

We also have no experience of such things as the beginnings of the universe

--> Cannot relate our human causation to the universe

2) Is a first cause necessary?

Is an infinite regress really impossible?

To say there cannot be an infinite regress is NOT ANALYTIC NOR DO WE HAVE EXPIERENCE TO KNOW THIS.

--> We can conceive of something existing forever, so an infinite regress is possible

3) Is the first cause really God?

The arguments from causation don't defend well the claim that God is really the first cause

Cannot infer God is the first cause as it is not analytic and also not known by expierence

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Aquinas 3rd Way -Argument of Contingency

Argument from Contingency

1) Things in the world exist contingently

2) There must have been a time when all contingent things did not exist

3) Nothing can come fron nothing --- But things exist now

4) There must have been a being which brought things into existence

5) This necessary being must be God

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Russell Criticism of Contingency Argument

Russell's criticism of the Argument from Contingency

The argument commits the fallacy of composition

This fallacy is an inference that just because the parts have some property, it doesn't mean the whole has the property

While scientists will look for causes, that doesn’t imply that they can find them everywhere

The concept of a being that necessarily exists is problematic. It would need to be self-contradictory to deny its existence, and it isn’t clear how this is possible

If we can’t make sense of the concept of a being that necessarily exists, then we have reason to reject the cosmological argument from contingency. 

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