Explain the cosmological argument for the existence of God from Aquinas and Copleston (25 marks)

The first of Aquinas’ 3 ways was the observation of motion in the world. He said that everything in the universe is constantly moving from one state to another. He then goes on to say that nothing can be pushing itself into something else, there is always something before it. If we assume that the universe is contingent and doesn’t go back for infinity, then we can conclude that something must have started the first motion. Aquinas believed that this first, unmoved mover is who we call God. God pushes things from their original state, their actual state, to their potential state. They can’t move themselves.

Aquinas’ 2nd way says that everything must be caused. For example, our parents caused us, and their parents caused them etc. He said that this chain cannot go back forever and so there must have been a first cause or prime mover. For Aquinas, this is God.

The 3rd way is contingency. Aquinas said that because the universe cannot go back forever, it must be reliant on something that caused it. This something is a transcendent ‘necessary being’ who cannot not exist. He has to exist because of the efficient reason put forward by Lebeniz, every single thing has an efficient cause. For the universe, this is God.

Copleston put forward his idea of the cosmological argument in 4 main steps. Firstly, he says that things cannot exist of their own, they are brought about by other events. Secondly, he says that everything in the universe is like this, nothing holds its explanation in itself. Thirdly therefore, the universe cannot have been the cause of itself. Lastly, the cause of the universe must be some being which exists separately and holds its own explanation in itself. This necessary being is God.

In conclusion, the cosmological argument tries to give proof of God’s existence by looking at causation and motion in the world. Aquinas and Copleston believed that there must be a first cause, and this is a necessary being who we call God.