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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