Louise Hempton                Philosophy

TG1                Miss Godsil

Part A

Explain the cosmological argument from Aquinas and Copleston.

The cosmological argument is an argument for the existence of God. It is also known as the first cause argument. The cosmological argument is an a posteriori argument because it is based on what can be seen in the world and the universe. It is based on the belief that there is a first cause behind the existence of the universe. The cosmological argument seems to answer the three questions; How did the universe being? Why was the universe created? And Who created the universe?

The basic argument is that things come into existence because something has caused them to happen. There is a chain of causes that goes back to the beginning of time. Time began with the creation of the universe so there must have been a first cause which brought the universe into existence. This first cause must have necessary existence to cause the contingent universe. It is believed that God has this necessary existence, so God must be the first cause of the contingent’s universe’s existence.

St. Thomas Aquinas realised that the existence of the universe is not explicable without references and factors outside itself. It cannot be self causing since it is contingent and only the existence of a first, necessary cause and mover explains that existence of the universe. Aquinas put forward in his book ‘Summa Theologica’ ‘five ways’ in which he attempted to prove the existence of God a posteriori. The first three ways make up the Cosmological argument.

The first way is based on motion. In the world there are things which have been moved, whatever is in motion has been moved.  This chain of motion stretches back into history, but cannot go back into infinity; there must have been a first mover. God. Aquinas described motion in terms of actuality and potentiality.  Wood has the potential to burn.  If I apply fire to it the wood reaches the actuality of burning.  Thus the fire is the cause of the motion of burning.  This type of chain of cause and effect stretches back to a first example of motion, without a first mover we would have no movement now as movement always come from something.

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The second way is based on cause. Aquinas asserts that there is chain of cause and effect in the world. (He does not refer to the motion as cause and effect as in the first way, but there are similarities).  Nothing can cause itself.  Something must have started everything off however, or the chain of cause and effect would not have started.  This first cause was itself uncaused.  This first cause is God. Aquinas’ idea rests here on the ideas of contingency and necessity.  He claims that everything is contingent; everything relies on something else for its existence.  However, ...

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