Proof of God's Existence - Aquinas

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  • Created by: ewilco1
  • Created on: 17-04-19 20:36
Proof of God's existence I
Aquinas Five Ways
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Aquinas
1225 - 1274. Draws on philosophy of Aristotle via Judaism and Muslim predecessors. Sees an important link between philosophy and theology.
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Summa Theologica
(Summary of Theology). A text for Christians training to be ministers. Has three parts.
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The names of the the three parts of Summa Theologica
First part - Prima Pars, Second Part - Secunda Pars, Third Part - Terita pars
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About the three parts of the Summa Theologica
First part - the doctrine of God (creation plays a large part). Second part - salvation, is divided into two sections. Third part is how salvation is brought about in the lives of Christians (unfinished at his death).
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Wittgenstein
The believer gives reasons for their belief even though they themselves would never have come to believe through those reasons.
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There are two ways of looking at proofs for the existence of God.
One more typically used in religion and one more typically used in theology.
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Aquinas Five Ways
Often presented in philosophical form, a series of steps forming a logical argument.
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The First Way
There is motion in the universe e.g. a stick moves. Things do not move by themselves: they are moved by something else. There cannot be an infinite regression. Therefore there must be a prime mover who is not moved by anything else (God)
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Criticisms of the First Way
Why can there not be an infinite series of regression? Why only one prime mover? Also does not have to be God.
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Aquinas
Others have a similar structure. Effects; contingent things; human values; design
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Criticisms
Hume - opposes link between cause and effect; Russell - the universe 'just is'; human values as a product of culture; Hume - order could just has easily have been produced by chance
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Do these proofs work?
Wittgenstein. Presents Aquinas as a Natural Theologian (Someone who starts from things in the world around them and work their way from there to the existence of God using reason)
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What are believers really trying to do?
Wittgenstein. Could the Five Ways be a form of ‘faith seeking understanding’ (Aquinas' starting point is faith)? He quotes the Bible.
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Aquinas on two kinds of proof
Why - cause to effect - why move? What - effect to cause - see = exists. If things exist = cause, can't be own cause. Caused by God - God. Leap to God = definition of creation is bringing things into existence. God defined through reason?
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There are two types of demonstration (one)
One showing 'why', follows the natural order of things among themselves, arguing from cause to affect. Why did the stick move?
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There are two types of demonstration (two)
The other showing 'that' followers the order in which we know things, arguing from effect to cause. We know that things exist because they act on us. When we see a stick, we can reason from that to the knowledge that the stick exists.
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Aquinas on two kinds of proof
Any effect of a cause demonstrates that the cause exists, in cases where the effect is better known to us, since effects are dependent on causes, and can only occur if the causes already exist
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What does this mean?
We can only see a stick if there is a stick to be seen. We can only see things in the world if they exist. If they exist, then there must be a cause to their existence, as things can't be the cause of their own existence.
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Why not?
Because then they wouldn't be contingent and everything in the world as the whole is contingent. So if things are contingent, they must be caused by something other. Essence / extinction distinction.
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Aquinas on two kinds of proof
From effects evident to us, therefore, we can demonstrate what is not evident to us, namely that God exists
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Aquinas on two kinds of proof
Why the leap to God? God is the cause of the existence of things in the world because the definition of creation is bringing creatures into existence. So maybe the Five Ways are designed to show that faith in creation can be defended using reason.
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

1225 - 1274. Draws on philosophy of Aristotle via Judaism and Muslim predecessors. Sees an important link between philosophy and theology.

Back

Aquinas

Card 3

Front

(Summary of Theology). A text for Christians training to be ministers. Has three parts.

Back

Preview of the back of card 3

Card 4

Front

First part - Prima Pars, Second Part - Secunda Pars, Third Part - Terita pars

Back

Preview of the back of card 4

Card 5

Front

First part - the doctrine of God (creation plays a large part). Second part - salvation, is divided into two sections. Third part is how salvation is brought about in the lives of Christians (unfinished at his death).

Back

Preview of the back of card 5
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