Outline Aquinas Cosmological argument

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Outline Aquinas Cosmological argument

The basic notion of cosmological arguments is that the world and everything in it is dependent on something other than itself for its existence. In other word's, despite the fact that the world seems to be self-perpetuating one needs to consider the source of all that there is.                                                                         Although the cosmological argument was famously expressed in three of '  (rational arguments for the existence of God), there is an early form, in Plato, and the argument is used by . Both Plato and Aristotle argued that the fact of motion (i.e. things move) requires a mover ('... the series must start with something for nothing can come from nothing' (Aristotle)). The key idea is that if something exists there must be preliminary factors that have influenced (and caused) it to exist. An example might be to say that if the computer I am currently using to write these words on exists then there must have been certain individuals who were responsible for its design and construction. It is certainly true that if they had not lived (existed) then this computer would quite possibly not be in front of me today.

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The cosmological argument asks questions about the origin of the world around us. If we accept the idea that everything depends on something else for its existence then by continually regressing back we will arrive at the first cause behind all things, which exist today. This fact is assumed by both Christians and scientists, who argue that the world and everything in it exists because of a 'first cause'. Scientists would argue that the first cause was the Big Bang (Evolution). Christians (and other theistic religions) believe God (or the Divine) was the first cause of all there is (Creation). ...

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