Explain the Ontological argument.
Explain the Ontological argument (33) The ontological argument is a 'priori' argument. This means to prove Gods existence through the definition of the word 'God', it is not dependent on proof but if the premise is correct, then so must be the conclusion. Saint Anselm of Canterbury first propagated the argument through a series of works named "Proslogion", which attempted to prove both the nature and existence of God. Anselm defined God as "that which nothing greater can be conceived". According to Anselm even an atheist must have a definition of God, if nothing more than to dismiss his existence. Anselm went on to argue that there are two types of existence, existence in the mind and existence in reality. To exist in reality is far better to exist in the mind, for example the thought of a £1,000 would be nice but it would be better in reality. Therefore God has to exist in both the mind and in reality, because otherwise something greater could exist in reality. Anselm then went on to prove that God is necessary because something exists cannot be argued not to exist and God must be such a thing if he is "that which nothing greater can be conceived." Thus Anselm establishes God, as a being that was necessary existence, whose existence does not rely upon contingent items such as a perfect island. Whereas everything in the world is reliant upon something else, God is not
A Big Bang Cosmological Argument for God's Nonexistence
I am a joint physics/ philosophy student at Birmingham University, and this essay will come in useful to anyone studying the science of beliefs module, and similar related courses. A Big Bang Cosmological Argument for God's Nonexistence by Quentin Smith The big bang cosmological theory is relevant to Christian theism and other theist perspectives since it represents the universe as beginning to exist ex nihilo about 15 billion years ago. This paper addresses the question of whether it is reasonable to believe that God created the big bang. Some theists answer in the affirmative, but it is argued in this paper that this belief is not reasonable. In the course of this argument, there is a discussion of the metaphysical necessity of natural laws, of whether the law of causality is true a priori, and of other pertinent issues. . Introduction The advent of big bang cosmology in this century was a watershed for theists. Since the times of Copernicus and Darwin, many theists regarded science as hostile to their world-view and as requiring defence and retrenchment on the part of theism. But big bang cosmology in effect reversed this situation. The central idea of this cosmology, that the universe exploded into existence in a 'big bang' about 15 billion years ago or so, seemed tailor made to a theistic viewpoint. Big bang cosmology seemed to offer
T H E D E S I G N A R G U M E N T
T H E D E S I G N A R G U M E N T for the existence of God **************************** Design arguments are A POSTERIORI and INDUCTIVE - they seek to move from facts about the world to God and can only establish a level of probability never a philosophical proof. Early forms of the argument were put forward by Socrates and Plato (cf the Phaedo). There are various types of argument. . TELEOLOGICAL ARGUMENTS - Arguments from a general pattern of order in the Universe- arguments qua regularity 2. TELEOLOGICAL ARGUMENTS - Arguments which seek to show that the universe has direction and a goal -qua purpose 3. THE ARGUMENT FROM BEAUTY . Old forms of teleological argument tend to rely on arguments qua purpose and modern teleological arguments tend to rely on arguments qua regularity. Older forms often rely on analogy, such as those given by Aquinas and Paley. EARLY TELEOLOGICAL ARGUMENTS - qua purpose ------------------------------------------- St. Thomas Aquinas (1224-75) Aquinas' fifth Way is a form of the teleological argument: 'Goal directed behaviour is observed in all bodies obeying natural laws, even when they lack awareness...But nothing lacking awareness can tend to a goal except it be directed by someone with awareness and understanding; the arrow, for example, requires an archer. Everything in nature, therefore is directed to its goal by someone with
Good and Evil
Good and Evil Christians believe that the ultimate good is God; they believe that he is omni benevolent, this means all loving. They believe that God is the creator and they believe in the holy trinity to set them on the path of good, they believe in the father, who made the world and keeps it going, but also who created humans in the image of God "God created man in his own image" consequently we must be good like God. The word trinity is a term used to denote the Christian doctrine that God exists as a unity of three distinct persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Each is divine, yet there are not three Gods, but one God. Christians believe that Jesus is the son who is the immanent and personal God beside us who came to earth and lived a human life. The Father is the translucent God beyond us that created the world and keeps it going and the Holy Spirit who is the immanent yet impersonal God around us that inspires and guides Christians from day to day. So Christians understand that there are three 'members' of the trinity, whom all are different, but have the same purpose. (Source: the book 'Christianity in Today's World') The Bible says that Christians are to be involved in good works for the purpose of glorifying God. Jesus who is the Christian example, was declared to be one "who went about doing good" (Acts 10:38). So Christians know that they must be
Bereshit, the first word in Genesis translates to "in a beginning"
Consider the purpose of the literary presentation of the nature of God's activity in Genesis 1-3 The Genesis creation myth opens the Bible and thus has tremendous theological significance in launching the concept of God. The Genesis passages are used to provide information relating to the nature of God's activity. These are interpreted by some creationists as an absolutely literal report of events whereas other, more liberal, Christians are willing to accept that the Genesis accounts are based more on spiritual truth. Both interpretations are based upon the understanding of the very ambiguous 2 Tim 3:16 "all scripture is inspired by God". Many liberal Christians use the advances of science on which to base their interpretations, leading to a divergence with creationist sentiments. However, the symbolic and spiritual indications of the nature of God's activity can still be analysed. Having discriminated between the two sources present in Genesis 1-3 using Wellhausen's documentary hypothesis, this essay will look at the context and literary devices of both in turn. It will also consider the characteristics attributed to God, such as his control, power and perfection and the meaning of the manner of his creation. In addition, the meaning of evil to the nature of God and the role of man in his relationship with God will be covered in conjunction with the aetiological
Religious writers all set out, in Milton’s words, “to justify the ways of God to man”. Few succeed. To what extent is this a valid statement?
Religious writers all set out, in Milton’s words, “to justify the ways of God to man”. Few succeed. To what extent is this a valid
Essay on Waiting for Godot.
Essay on Waiting for Godot The purpose of human life is an unanswerable question. It seems impossible to find an answer because we don't know where to begin looking or whom to ask. Existence, to us, seems to be something imposed upon us by an unknown force. There is no apparent meaning to it, and yet we suffer as a result of it. The world seems utterly chaotic. We therefore try to impose meaning on it through pattern and fabricated purposes to distract ourselves from the fact that our situation is hopelessly unfathomable. "Waiting for Godot" is a play that captures this feeling and view of the world, and characterizes it with archetypes that symbolize humanity and its behaviour when faced with this knowledge. According to the play, a human being's life is totally dependant on chance, and, by extension, time is meaningless; therefore, a human+s life is also meaningless, and the realization of this drives humans to rely on nebulous, outside forces, which may be real or not, for order and direction. The basic premise of the play is that chance is the underlying factor behind existence. Therefore human life is determined by chance. This is established very early on, when Vladimir mentions the parable of the two thieves from the Bible. "One of the thieves was saved. It's a reasonable percentage" (Beckett, 8). The idea of "percentage" is important
Preliminary Interpretation of Descartes Meditations
Preliminary Interpretation of Descartes Meditations René Descartes was a revolutionary figure in the 17th century during the renaissance period, at a time when the way people viewed the world was changing dramatically. In the past people had described things using a mixture of colour, hot, cold, sweet tasting, hard (secondary qualities) and distance, velocity, time, mass and acceleration (primary qualities). But in a time of dramatic change, mathematical science was, through mathmaticalised theories and predictions of measurable quantities proving primary qualities to be more reliable and efficient than secondary qualities. A now scientific, world seen predominantly by primary qualities left no place for secondary qualities. Descartes was in the forefront of renaissance maths, natural philosophy (physics) and wrote many books on geometry and astronomy among many other subjects. However in his book 'Meditations and Other Metaphysical Writings' he attempts to maintain his place as a mathematical scientist yet find a place for the secondary qualities, afraid that science will sweep them away. The place he finds for these secondary qualities is as part of the thinking substance. Descartes begins the first meditation of 'Meditations and Other Metaphysical Writings' by introducing reasons why we can doubt everything which we have come to believe, even those things which we
Identify 3 novels, short stories or poems that would have special significance to the author. Present the 3 texts accompanied with written explanations of substantial length why you think they would be important to the author
Identify 3 novels, short stories or poems [choose one; combinations are possible] that would have special significance to the author. Present the 3 texts accompanied with written explanations of substantial length why you think they would be important to the author. Book Chosen: The Cosmos by Sagan Carl First Short Story Embroidery by Ray Bradbury The dark porch air in the late afternoon was full of needle flashes, like a movement of gathered silver insects in the light. The three women's mouths twitched over their work. Their bodies lay back and then imperceptibly forward, so that the rocking chairs tilted and murmured. Each woman looked to her own hands, as if quite suddenly she had found her heart beating there. 'What time is it?' 'Ten minutes to five.' 'Got to get up in a minute and shell those peas for dinner.' 'But -' said one of them. 'Oh yes, I forgot. How foolish of me...' The first woman paused, put down her embroidery and needle, and looked through the open porch door, through the warm interior of the quiet house, to the silent kitchen. There upon the table, seeming more like symbols of domesticity than anything she had ever seen in her life, lay the mound of fresh-washed peas in their neat, resilient jackets, waiting for her fingers to bring them into the world. 'Go hull them if it'll make you feel good,' said the second woman. 'No,' said the
The Qur'an's references to orbits.
Orbits While referring to the Sun and the Moon in the Qur'an, it is emphasized that each moves in a definite orbit. "It is He Who created the night and the day, and the sun and the moon. They swim along, each in an orbit. " (The Qur'an, 21:33) It is mentioned in another verse, too, that the Sun is not static but moves in a definite orbit: "And the sun runs to its resting place. That is the decree of the Almighty, the All-Knowing. " (The Qur'an, 37:38) These facts communicated in the Qur'an have been discovered by astronomical observations in our age. According to the calculations of experts on astronomy, the Sun is traveling at the enormous speed of 720,000 kilometers an hour in the direction of the star Vega in a particular orbit called the Solar Apex. This means that the sun travels roughly 17,280,000 kilometers a day. Along with the Sun, and all planets and satellites within the gravitational system of the Sun also travel the same distance. In addition, all the stars in the universe are in a similar planned motion. That the entire universe is full of paths and orbits such as this one, is written in the Qur'an as follows: "By the sky full of paths and orbits." (The Qur'an, 51:7) Roundness of the earth: "He has created the Heavens and the Earth for Truth. He wraps the night up in the day, and wraps the day up in the night." (The Qur'an, 39:5)