COSMOLOGICAL ARGUMENT
COSMOLOGICAL ARGUMENT
DEFINITION
ALSO CALLED FIRST CAUSE ARGUMENT
A POSTERIORI
STATES THAT UNIVERSE HAS A FIRST CAUSE
FIRST CAUSE IS GOD
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ESSENTIAL ARGUMENT
X HAS A BEGINNING ( X HAS A CAUSE
UNIVERSE EXISTS CONTINGENTLY, NOT NECESSARILY
IN UNIVERSE, CHAIN OF CAUSES GOES BACK TO BEGINNING OF TIME
TIME BEGAN: CREATION OF UNIVERSE ( 15 BILLION YEARS AGO
THEREFORE UNIVERSE MUST HAVE A FIRST CAUSE
FISRST CAUSE MUST EXIST NECESSARILY
(OTHERWISE IT COULD NOT CREATE A CONTINGENT UNIVERSE)
THEREFORE GOD IS FIRST CAUSE OF UNIVERSE AND HAS NECESSARY EXISTENCE
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AQUINAS'S VERSION
PRESENTED IN SUMMA THEOLOGICA (1-3 OF THE 5 WAYS)
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THE FIRST WAY - MOTION
OMNE QUOD MOVETUR AB ALIA MOVETUR
THERE ARE THINGS IN THE UNIVERSE THAT ARE IN MOTION
(AQUINAS DEFINED MOVEMENT AS SPATIAL MOVEMENT, BUT ALSO CHANGE IN QUALITY AND QUANTITY)
X IS IN MOTION ( X WAS MOVED BY SOMETHING ELSE
AQUINAS: A CAUSAL CHAIN OF MOTION CANNOT GO BACK TO INFINITY
THEREFORE THERE MUST HAVE BEEN A PRIME MOVER
THE PRIME MOVER WAS NOT ITSELF MOVED
PRIME MOVER IS GOD
AN EXTERNAL AGENT ENABLES THINGS TO ACHIEVE THEIR POTENTIAL
EG FIRE MAKES WOOD HOT
FIRE CHANGES WOOD TO ACHIEVE ITS POTENTIAL TO BECOME HOT
WOOD CANNOT INITIATE THIS CHANGE IN ITSELF
AQUINAS: SOMETHING CANNOT BE ACTUALLY AND POTENTIALLY HOT AT THE SAME TIME
SERIES OF CHANGES LEADS TO THE WOOD BECOMING HOT
SERIES NOT INFINITE THOUGH
EVENTUALLY ARRIVE AT FIRST MOVER
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AQUINAS'S SECOND WAY - CAUSE
NOTHING CAN EXIST BEFORE IT EXISTS
CAUSE AND EFFECT IMPLIES A TEMPORAL RELATIONSHIP
THEREFORE NOTHING CAN CAUSE ITS OWN EXISTENCE
THEREFORE CAUSA SUI CANNOT EXIST
LOGICAL IMPOSSIBILITY
THERE CANNOT BE AN INFINITE SERIES OF CAUSES
FIRST CAUSE = GOD
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AQUINAS'S THIRD WAY - CONTINGENCY
UNIVERSE CONTINGENT
THINGS COME INTO EXISTENCE AND THEN CEASE TO EXIST
THEREFORE IN PAST THERE WAS A TIME WHEN NOTHING EXISTED
CAUSE OF EXISTENCE OF UNIVERSE EXTERNAL TO UNIVERSE AND INFINITE
NECESSARY BEING CREATED CONTINGENT UNIVERSE
NECESSARY BEING = GOD
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KALAM VERSION OF COSMOLOGICAL ARGUMENT
SEEKS TO PROVE GOD WAS FIRST CAUSE OF UNIVERSE
WILLIAM CRAIG DEVELOPED MODERN FORM OF IT
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CRAIG: FIRST PART
CANNOT ADD TIME TO ACTUAL INFINITY
IF UNIVERSE IS AN ACTUALLY INFINITE UNIVERSE THEN
THE PRESENT WOULD NOT EXIST
THE PRESENT DOES EXIST
THE PRESENT RESULTS FROM CHRONOLOGICAL SERIES OF PAST EVENTS
THEREFORE UNIVERSE IS FINITE
THEREFORE UNIVERSE HAD A BEGINNING
UNIVERSE HAD A BEGINNING ( UNIVERSE HAD A CAUSE
CAUSA SUI LOGICALLY IMPOSSIBLE
FIRST CAUSE THEREFORE OTHER THAN UNIVERSE
FIRST CAUSE = GOD
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CRAIG: INFINITY
UNIVERSE HAS NO BEGINNING (
PAST = ACTUALLY INFINITE SERIES OF EVENTS
LOGICALLY INCONSISTENT: FOR ANY EVENT OF TYPE X, THERE WOULD BE AN INFINITE NUMBER OF X-EVENTS
THEREFORE THE NUMBER OF X-EVENTS WOULD = TOTAL NUMBER OF PAST EVENTS
ABSURD
THEREFORE CRAIG: U HAS BEGINNING
HISTORY OF UNIVERSE = EVENT + EVENT + EVENT .....
THEREFORE SUCCESSIVE ADDITION
A COLLECTION FORMED BY SUCCESSIVE ADDITION CANNOT BE INFINITE
THEREFORE UNIVERSE HAD BEGINNING IN TIME
THEREFORE UNIVERSE HAD A CAUSE
CRAIG: CAUSE = GOD = PERSONAL BEING
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CRAIG: SECOND PART
IF THE UNIVERSE HAD A BEGINNING, THEN THIS BEGINNING WAS EITHER CAUSED OR UNCAUSED
PRIOR TO THE UNIVERSE, NATURAL LAWS DID NOT EXIST
THEREFORE CAUSE WAS A PERSONAL BEING WHO CREATED THE UNIVERSE BY FREE CHOICE
THIS DEPENDS ON BELIEF THAT UNIVERSE WAS CREATED EX NIHILO
IF SO, THE BEGINNING FO THE UNIVERSE WAS ALSO THE BEGINNING OF TIME
GOD EXISTS OUTSIDE TIME AND CHOSE TO CREATE THE UNIVERSE
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MILLER'S KALAM ARGUMENT
IF THE UNIVERSE IS INFINITE, THEN IT HAS EXISTED FOR AN INFINITE AMOUNT OF TIME IN THE PAST
BUT THE END OF INFINITE TIME IS NEVER REACHED
TODAY WOULD THEREFORE NEVER ARRIVE UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES
BUT WE KNOW THAT TODAY HAS ARRIVED
THEREFORE IT IS NOT THE CASE THAT THE UNIVERSE HAS EXISTED FOR AN INFINITE TIME IN THE PAST
TIME BEGAN WHEN THE UNIVERSE BEGAN
ALL EVENTS ARE CAUSED
THE BEGINNING OF THE UNIVERSE WAS AN EVENT
THEREFORE THERE MUST HAVE BEEN A FIRST CAUSE
THIS FIRST CAUSE WAS GOD
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OBJECTIONS TO THE COSMOLOGICAL ARGUMENT
AQUINAS AND CRAIG DENY THE POSSIBILITY OF AN INFINITE UNIVERSE BUT STILL SAY THAT GOD EXISTS
THEY MIGHT COUNTER THAT GOD IS UNIQUE AND THAT THE LAWS OF NATURE THEREFORE DO NOT APPLY TO HIM
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KENNY'S COUNTER
AQUINAS MAINTAINS THAT NOTHING CAN MOVE ITSELF
BUT IT IS THE CASE THAT ANIMALS, INCLUDING HUMANS, MOVE THEMSELVES
NEWTON'S FIRST LAW OF MOTION DISPROVES AQUINAS'S ARGUMENT
NEWTON'S FIRST LAW STATES THAT A BODY'S MOTION IS EXPLICABLE FROM ITS INERTIA FROM PREVIOUS MOTION
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HUME'S COUNTER
HUME ARGUED AGAINST THE COSMOLOGICAL ARGUMENT IN DIALOGUES CONCERNING NATURAL RELIGION (1779)
1 HUME MAINTAINS THAT THE UNIVERSE DOES NOT HAVE TO HAVE A BEGINNING
IF UNIVERSE HAS EXISTED FOR ETERNITY, NOTHING CAN BE PRIOR TO IT IN TIME TO CAUSE IT
PERHAPS UNIVERSE HAS SIMPLY ALWAYS BEEN THERE (RUSSELL)
2 HUME MAINTAINED THAT SOMETHING BEGINNING DOES NOT NECESSARILY IMPLY IT HAD A CAUSE
THEREFORE UNIVERSE BEGINNING DOES NOT NECESSARILY IMPLY THAT IT HAD A CAUSE
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LEIBNIZ - (IN FAVOUR OF COSMOLOGICAL ARGUMENT)
HE SAID THAT FOR EVERY EVENT, THERE MUST BE A 'SUFFICIENT REASON' TO EXPLAIN THE EVENT.
'SUFFICIENT REASON' = ADEQUATE EXPLANATION
Gary Powell
February 2003
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