Cosmological Argument

A posteriori
1. Knowledge gained 'after experience'
  1. In this case, experience of the universe & world
Aquinas
1. Proof of God
  1. 1. Change/motion: Things do not change without a cause
    1. It is necessary that the first mover affected by nothing else (assuming infinite regress is impossible) which must be God
  2. 2. Cause: There must be a chain of causes, the first being God
    1. It is necessary to admit (assuming infinite regress is impossible) a first efficient cause which must be God
  3. 3.Contingency: A future event that is not certain, dependent on something else
    1. Everything is contingent, there must have been something that is non-contingent (assuming infinite regress is impossible)
      1. A necessary being
2. Infinite regress: an infinite number of events in the past
  1. Rejected: Must be a first event
Aristotle
1. Potentiality & Actuality
  1. Aristotle was interested in the move from potentiality to actuality: Everything actualised has 4 causes
    1. 4. final
      1. The aim for which something is created
        The prime mover only has a Final Cause???
    2. 3. efficient
      1. The way in which something is created
    3. 2. formal
      1. The expression, idea or plan that lead to the creation of something
    4. 1.material
      1. Everything has a material from which it was made
  2. Actuality: When potential is achieved
  3. Potentiality: the possibility of doing/becoming something
2. There must be a mover as all movement depends on a mover
  1. Prime Mover
    1. Immune to change, decay, death
    2. independent of a mover (unmoved mover)
  2. Observe the world: we see movement & growth
Russell
1. supported infinite regress, rejected necessary being & contingency
2. Brute fact
  1. We can't understand/explain the universe fully
    1. Therefore shouldn't ask questions about it
      1. Because the answer would be meaningless (wouldn't understand it)
3. Fallacy of Composition
  1. Falsely describing the properties of the parts of a whole to the whole
    1. eg: things in the universe were created so the universe was also created.
The Roles of God
1. an explanation (the fact that there is something rather than nothing needs an explanation)
2. The sustainer of motion, causation & existence
  1. cause in esse
3. God as the temporal first cause (at the beginning of time)
  1. Cause in esse: brings things into existence, must be involved for continuation
  2. Cause in fieri: brings things into existence but no longer involved
Kalam Cosmological Argument
1. Whatever begins to exist has a cause, the universe began to exist
  1. Universe can't be infinite if running out of usable energy
  2. A universe that is expanding must have a starting point
  3. spaceless, timeless, uncaused, immaterial, powerful

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Cosmological Argument

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