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Aristotle's view of god
A thirteenth century cosmological argument aquinas summary
Weaknesses of Aquinas' cosmological argument for god
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Critique of Aquinas's Cosmological Argument
Aquinas's 3rd way suggests that the world consists of contingent
beings. As all contingent beings have a cause, namely another
contingent being, there must have been a time when nothing existed,
(unless contingent beings exist as a brute fact). Therefore,
contingent beings could not have come into existence unless there is a
necessary being which is non- contingent that caused them. Aquinas
named this being God. The problem with Aquinas's view is that as
physicians have suggested matter is eternal and therefore a necessary
being is not required to cause contingent beings.
The basis of Aquinas's argument depends on the fact that contingent
beings require a cause which is in turn contingent. "Contingent beings
require contingent causes", as stated by Stephen Evans in Philosophy
Of Religion(55). This basis leads one to believe that an infinite
series of contingent beings exists, but Aquinas claims this to be
"illogical", thus the need for a necessary being. The objections occur
due to the nature of contingency and the recently suggested, eternal
nature of matter.
Contingency was defined as "beings that are generated and perish" by
Aquinas in Peter Cole's Philosophy of religion(21). Therefore, by
definition, the necessary being must be eternal and have existed
through all time. But is it not possible that the necessary being's
contingency will be shown in the future through its perishing? This is
suggested in Philosophy of religion by Peter Cole. Thus the necessary
being will be proved to be contingent and further prove that an
infinite series of contingent beings is possible and that a ...
... middle of paper ...
...ency within the universe is
very doubtful in light of matter being eternal. It seems that if a
necessary being does exist then it is within the universe and can be
defined as matter which is a brute fact and thus implies the universes
eternality. This undermines Aquinas because he stated that the
necessary being was separate from the universe and also that the
universe was finite. Thus, this argument has cast doubt over Aquinas's
argument and leads to a belief in the infinite oscillation theory as
well as pantheism.
Bibliography
Cole, Peter. Philosophy Of Religion. Great Britain: Hodder & Stoughton
1999
Evans, C.Stephen. Philosophy of Religion: Thinking about faith.
Illinois: InterVarsity Press 1982
Peterson, Michael. Philosophy of Religion. Trans. J.L. Mackie. New
York: Oxford University press 1996
Examining the two works against each other as if it were a debate makes it a bit clearer to compare. Aquinas, reveals his argument under the groundwork that there are essentially two methods of understanding the truth. One being that it can be surmised through reason an logic, and the other being via inner faith. On the surface at this point it could be argued that this ontological determination a bit less convoluted than Anselm, yet I tend to think it could be a bit more confusing. This is what leads him to the claim that the existence of God can be proven by reason alone or “a priori”. Stemming from this belief he formulated his Five Proofs or what he called the “Quinquae Viae”. The first of which is fairly simple based on the fact that something in motion had to have been moved. Agreeing that something set it in motion therefor there must have been a...
In the first part, Aquinas states that the existence of god is not self-evident, meaning that reason alone without appealing to faith can give a good set of reasons to believe. To support this claim, Aquinas refers to “The Argument of Motion”, proposing that:
...Contingency Argument that whether a contingent series of causes is infinite or not, that fact is now irrelevant because as long as the series as a whole is thought to be contingent the existence of God can still be proven. So the Contingency Argument looks something like this.
One is that both theories believe that there had to have been a starting point to the universe. They both believe that it was created for a reason and that there will eventually be an endpoint. St. Aquinas believes that everything is constantly changing, and that for the change to start there must have been something to make the change happen. The first source of things moving is of course, God. Aquinas believes that all things trace back to God, who “is a being having its own necessity…” (Philosophical Proofs on the Existaence of God) A key belief in Aquinas’s Design Argument is that if something exists, there is a reason why it does exist and is a necessity. Another comparison is that both the Kalam’s Cosmological Argument and the Aquinas’s Design Argument have is that both believe that the Universe was started by the big bang. The difference between Kalam’s Cosmological Argument is that Aquinas’s Design Argument is caused by motion, an object is in motion it can send another object in motion. All things in the universe that are in motion and changing can be traced back to
Aquinas has several premises that all his arguments rely on. The starting point is that dependent beings exist. Since they exist, they (including their essence or characteristics) must have a cause. It
If God did not exist, he would not be the greatest being imaginable. He is the greatest thing imaginable. Therefore, he does exist. From this argument, God’s existence is viewed. as necessary (Ayer. A. J. 1973).
... God alone remains; and, given the truth of the principle that whatever exists has a cause, it follows, Descartes declares, that God exists we must of necessity conclude from the fact alone that I exist, or that the idea of a supremely perfect – that is of God – is in me, that the proof of God’s existence is grounded in the highest evidence” Descartes concludes that God must be the cause of him, and that God innately implanted the idea of infinite perfection in him.
While I do agree with some of Aquinas’ claims. Such as the idea that nothing comes from nothing. I believe something has to happen to become. It could be the efficient cause, causing the world to start. Although still having the question what made such a cause to effect everything in the
He continues by saying that for any change to occur there must have been a previous cause that existed in reality and if one was to trace this line of causes and effects all the way back there must be a first cause that began the chain. But there cannot be anything worldly like that because anything natural must have an impetus already in reality to transform it from potentiality to reality. The only explanation, in Aquinas' e... ... middle of paper ... ... s a cause except God.
A wonderful description of the nature of God’s existence that includes the absolute possession of characteristics that have to be uniquely God was said, “First, God must exist necessarily, which means that God’s existence differs from ours by not being dependent on anything or anyone else, or such as to be taken from him or lost in any way. God has always existed, will always exist and could not do otherwise than to exist. Also, whatever attributes God possesses, he possesses necessarily” (Wood, J., 2010, p. 191).
The Main Strengths of the Cosmological Argument There are many strengths within the Cosmological Argument which have proven theories and ways to prove the existence of God. Many of these strengths have come from such scholars as; Copleston, Aquinas and Leibniz, all of which have put together major points to prove the existence of a non-contingent being. One of the main strengths of the Cosmological Argument is from Aquinas way I that was about motion. This would be a posteriori argument because you need to gather evidence from the world around you.
According to Aristotle, this theory can be applied to the origin of the world. Once the world was set in motion, it was given potential for that which moves is constantly changing and therefore has potential. Aristotle says that change is eternal. Since the world is constantly changing, it is eternal, meaning it had a beginning but has no end.
It is my view that God exists, and I think that Aquinas’ first two ways presents a
whereas a thing that is contingent may go out of existence. The method Aquinas uses is to set up the opposite position, then prove. it to be wrong. Therefore, the cosmological argument begins by accepting the premise that all things are contingent. If all things are contingent, i.e., if all things can go out of existence and do not.
This is because it’s possible for everything both to exist and not to exist, therefore both possibilities must have been fulfilled at some point. He phrases it in those terms, but I believe his argument is better understood by saying everything which exists must have come into existence, and therefore didn’t exist before that. Since something cannot spontaneously come into existence, he believes, another being gave everything else existence. This is called a “necessary thing,” meaning its existence is necessary for the existence of other things. Aquinas believes a being bestowed its necessity onto itself and did “not [receive] it from another.” What was a paradox before, an object being both the cause and effect, is now the logic. This object is God, and gave existence to all other