Yamina Hamadache

The

Cosmological argument: The world consists of contingent things (things which rely on things external to them for existence) Everything is a result of a cause, in a long causal chain (chain of causes) Infinite regression the chain of causes going back forever cannot happen. So something MUST have set this chain into motion. This thing must be external to the causal chain (uncaused) and is known as God.

Three of his five ways (published in his Summa Theologica) outline versions of the Cosmological Argument. First Way: Change/Movement change in an object is always caused by an external movement nothing can change itself. These movements go back in a causal chain, but Aquinas said this chain cannot be infinite so there must be something which set off this chain of movements, an unmoved mover Prime Mover (God). Things change to fulfil their potential. If things could change themselves they would be both actual and potential. Aquinas believed this to be contradictory. God has no potentiality, just actuality as he is all he can be.

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effects can be accounted for by causes to cause itself something must pre-exist itself which is impossible. Each cause has a cause, which has a cause, and so on. This causal chain cannot regress infinitely, so there must have been an uncaused cause, i.e. God.

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third way addresses the Cosmological Argument from the point of contingency: All things are contingent; they rely on external things for their existence. Contingent things come in, then out, of existence whereas time is infinite (which is a supposition made by Aquinas) therefore there must have been a time when there was nothing. Nothing comes from nothing, so there must have been something to bring all contingent things into existence A necessary being, known as God.

Coplestone: Nothing has within itself a sufficient reason to explain its existence the sufficient reason is always external to the object. So, the Universe must have an external sufficient reason too. Russell: Just because an object within the world needs a sufficient reason, doesnt mean the Universe should as well. That is like saying we all have a mother so the Universe must have a mother. Some things dont need a reason, they just are and require no explanation. Coplestone: Famously replied one cannot be checkmated if one refuses to sit at the chessboard

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developed by Muslim scholars in the 9th century, William Lane Craig developed a modern version of this argument in his book, The Kalam Cosmological Argument. seeks to prove that God was creator of the Universe, and is therefore Cosmological. argument has two parts.

It

This

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an actual infinite universe there can exist no present, as successive events cannot be added to an actual infinite. The present does exist due to a series of successive events in history. Therefore the Universe is not infinite, but finite. A finite Universe must have a beginning (as all finite things do) Things cannot cause themselves. The Universe had a first cause. God caused (created) the Universe

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there was a beginning to the Universe, it was either caused (brought into existence by an external being) or uncaused (a natural occurrence). Supporters of the Kalam argument reason that it cannot be a natural occurrence, as the laws of nature only came into existence with the Universe. The Kalam argument relies heavily on belief in ex nihilo. If the Universe came from nothing, then the beginning of the Universe must have been the beginning of time. So, the creator of the universe must be outside time (God)

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is logical to assert, from our life experience, that things do not bring themselves into existence.

Both Aquinas and Craig reject the possibility of an infinite in regards to the universe, yet postulate that an infinite being can exist. Anthony Kenny argued that in Aquinas First Way his assertion that nothing moves itself is wrong, as a) animals and humans move themselves, and b) Newtons law of motion states that movement can be explained by a bodys own inertia from previous movement. Russell and Hume argued that the Universe need not have a cause at all (see R&C radio debate) Recently, Quentin Smith used quantum mechanics to argue the idea of something needing a cause. He said that just because the Universe has a beginning, doesnt mean it needs a cause. Kant believed it impossible to extend the knowledge we do have to make assumptions about that beyond our experience (God). He argued that the idea that everything has a first cause applies only to the world of senseexperience. It implies existence of the Classical Theistic God, but why not many gods or some other being?

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infinite - A mathematical concept referring to numbers of things with an infinite number. It is not growing, as it is infinite already. A part within an actual infinite is equal to the whole set...as it is infinite. (Craig argued that the universe cannot be an actual infinite, because that would mean there are as many wars as events in time) Ex nihilo The belief that the world/universe was created from nothing.