Cosmological Argument - 1401 Words

Examine the cosmological argument for the existence of God. The cosmological argument is an a posteriori argument which intends to prove that there is an intelligent being that exists; the being is distinct from the universe, explains the existence of the universe, and is omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent and omnibenevolent. The basic notion of cosmological arguments is that the world and everything in it is dependent on something other than itself for its existence. It explains that everything has a cause, that there must have been a first cause, and that this first cause was itself uncaused. Many philosophers have explored the cosmological argument, including Aquinas, in much depth, through his Five Ways in the Summa Theologica.†¦show more content†¦Frederick Copleston was a priest, and historian of philosophy who supported Aquinas’ rejection of infinite regress. Copleston reformulated the argument by concentrating on contingency, which he discussed in depth during a radio debate with Bertrand Russell in 1947. Copleston, like Aquinas, argued that there are things in the universe which are contingent, for example, us – we would not have existed if our parents had not met. All things in the world are similar to this, nothing in the world is self-explanatory, and everything depends on something else for its existence. Therefore, we are forced to search for an external explanation. The explanation must lead us to a cause which is self explanatory, i.e. one which contains within itself, the reason for its own existence – a necessary being. The c onclusion must be God. Copleston argues that if we don’t accept the existence of an ‘unmoved mover’, like Aquinas suggested, there is no explanation for the universe at all. Copleston believes the universe is gratuitous without a first cause, because without an explanation, nothing has meaning – â€Å"Everything is gratuitous. This garden, this city, and myself; when you suddenly realise it, it makes you feel sick and everything begins to drift†¦ that’s nausea†. Leibniz, who wrote ‘On the Ultimate Origination of Things’, also supported the cosmological argument; his argument is sometimes called the ‘argument fromShow MoreRelatedThe Cosmological Argument643 Words   |  3 PagesThe Cosmological Argument An important argument to try and prove the existence of God is the Cosmological Argument brought on by observations of the physical universe, made by Saint Thomas Aquinas, a thirteenth century Christian philosopher. The cosmological argument is a result from the study of the cosmos; Aquinas borrows ideas from Aristotle to make this systematically organized argument. Aquinas’ first point begins with the observation that everything is moving. Aquinas’ says that everythingRead MoreRegarding the Cosmological Argument1564 Words   |  7 PagesRegarding the Cosmological Argument The goal of the cosmological argument is to support the claim that God exists as the first cause of the universe. According to Nagel, the argument runs as following: (P1) Every event must have a cause. (P2) If every event must have a cause, event A must have a cause B, which in turn must have a cause C, and so on. (P3) There is no end to this backward progression of causes. (C1) This backward progression of causes will be an infinite series of event. (P4)Read MoreAquinas’ Cosmological Arguments Essay1631 Words   |  7 PagesAquinas’ Cosmological Arguments The Cosmological Argument for the existence of God, as propounded by Thomas Aquinas, is also known as the Third Way. It is the Third of Five ways in Aquinass masterpiece, The Summa (The Five Ways). The five ways are: the unmoved mover, the uncaused causer, possibility and necessity, goodness, truth and nobility and the last way the teleological. The first three ‘ways’ are different variations of the cosmological argument. Read MoreThe Cosmological Argument On The Existence Of God1444 Words   |  6 Pages Theories have arisen from many different philosophers trying to explain the existence of God; the Cosmological Argument is one such theory. The Cosmological Argument has been changed and reviewed for years; however, the focus has always stayed the same. The universe is a prime example that there is a God. A simple Cosmological argument states that: Everything that exists has a cause of its existence. The universe exists. Therefore, The universe has a cause of its existence. If the universe hasRead MoreExplain Aquinas Cosmological Argument652 Words   |  3 PagesExplain Aquinas’ Cosmological Argument The basis of the cosmological argument is that the universe cannot account for its own existence. There must be a reason, the argument says, for the existence of the universe and the reason has to be something which is not part of the physical world of time and space. The cosmological argument was used by Thomas Aquinas (1225-74) in his five ways, which were ways of demonstrating the existence of God through inductive argument based on observation and evidenceRead MoreWeak Arguments in Cosmological Argument by Thomas Aquinas692 Words   |  3 Pagesattempted to prove the existence of God in a rational way through his Cosmological argument. Aquinas argued that every event as we observe it has a cause and a casual chain cannot be infinite. Therefore, a first cause is necessary and this cause is God. Aquinas’ argument is unsuccessful because it assumes that God is a necessary being, fails to prove that the world is not an infinite chain of events, and undermines the basis of his argument by saying that God is infinite. Aquinas argued the existenceRead MoreThe Cosmological Argument For The Existence Of God1957 Words   |  8 Pagesthe KalÄ m Cosmological Argument (KCA), demonstrating that it offers strong evidence for the existence of God, thereby providing a rational foundation for the Christian faith. Background The cosmological argument is, â€Å"a family of arguments that seek to demonstrate the existence of a Sufficient Reason or First Cause of the existence of the cosmos.† Historians trace an early version of the cosmological argument to Ibn SÄ «nÄ  (c. 980–1037), and philosophers commonly differentiate argument variationsRead MoreThe Ontological, Cosmological, And Design Argument1624 Words   |  7 Pagesbenevolent God they do not need science to show proof that he exists because of their morals and beliefs they have been raised to follow. In this paper I will prove that God does exist by explaining the ontological, cosmological, and design argument. The ontological argument was an argument created by Saint Anselm. Anselm argued that if we thought about what God is and what he can do then we know he must exist. What Anselm means by this is that if our minds can think of something so great like God,Read MoreDissecting Clarkes Cosmological Argument796 Words   |  4 PagesClarke’s Cosmological Argument In the following paper, I will outline Samuel Clarke’s â€Å"Modern Formulation of the Cosmological Argument† and restate some of the points that he makes. Samuel Clarke’s argument for the existence of God states that â€Å"There has existed from eternity some one unchangeable and independent being† (37). The argument follows a logical flow and can be better understood when the structure is laid out and the argument reconstructed. Clarke begins his argument with a useRead MoreCosmological Arguments On The Existence Of A God2212 Words   |  9 Pagesâ€Å"metaphysically necessary being.† That will be the definition of God for this paper. Numerous arguments have been put forth for and against the existence of a God, and some can be grouped together according to their type. Examples of these arguments range from teleological arguments to axiological arguments to cosmological arguments (to name a few). The following paper will focus on cosmological arguments, in particular the Argument from Contingency. Ancient philosophers would look at the stars and would marvel