JoshuaG
Iron
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2023
- Posts
- 169
- Reputation
- 110
Of course i will explain some things first before the argument itself.
To begin, we must understand what a cosmological argument is, a cosmological argument, in natural theology, is an argument that affirms that the existence of God can be inferred from facts related to causality, explanation, change, movement, contingency, dependence or finitude. with respect to the universe or some totality of objects. A cosmological argument may also sometimes be referred to as a universal causality argument, a first cause argument, the causal argument, or the prime mover argument. Whatever term is used, there are two basic variants of the argument, each with subtle but important distinctions: in esse (essentiality) and in fieri (becoming). The basic premises of all of these arguments involve the concept of causality. The conclusion of these arguments is that there is a first cause (for any group of things that are argued to have a cause), which will later be considered God. The history of this argument dates back to Aristotle or earlier, was developed in Neoplatonism and early Christianity and later in medieval Islamic theology during the 9th to 12th centuries, and was reintroduced to medieval Christian theology in the 13th century by Thomas of Aquinas. The cosmological argument is closely related to the principle of sufficient reason as addressed by Gottfried Leibniz and Samuel Clarke, itself a modern exposition of the claim that "nothing comes from nothing" attributed to Parmenides.
en.wikipedia.org
START OF THE KALAAM ARGUMENT
The main point of the argument is based on a simple syllogism:
1. Everything that begins to exist has a cause
2. The universe began to exist
3. Therefore the universe has a cause
Given the conclusion, an additional premise and conclusion are added based on a conceptual analysis of the properties of the cause of the universe:
4. The universe has a cause
5. If the universe has a cause, then there is a personal and uncaused Creator of the universe who without (without) the universe is beginningless, immutable, immaterial, timeless, spaceless, and enormously powerful.
6. Therefore, there is a personal and causeless Creator of the universe, who without the universe is beginningless, immutable, immaterial, timeless, spaceless and enormously powerful.
-Referring to the implications of classical theism that follow from this argument, it is said that... "transcending the entire universe there is a cause that brought the universe into existence ex nihilo... our entire universe was caused to exist by something else beyond him and greater than him", Ex nihilo refers to the belief that matter is not eternal but had to be created by some divine creative act, often defined as God. It is a theistic answer to the question of how the universe comes to exist. Contrast with Ex nihilo nihil fit or "nothing arises from nothing", meaning that all things were formed from pre-existing things.
-Now going more in depth with the premises of the first syllogism, starting with 1:
Several arguments are given to prove the truth of this first premise.
Rational intuition: The first premise is claimed to be evidently true, as it is based on the metaphysical intuition that "something cannot arise from nothing", or "Ex nihilo nihil fit", which originates in Parmenidean philosophy. The fact that something is born without any cause is being born from nothing, which is absurd.
en.wikipedia.org
The other argument that is presented is that if it is false, it would be inexplicable why anything and everything does not arise at random without a cause so the other person by denying it would be committing "Reductio ad absurdum"
en.wikipedia.org
The last argument is inductive reasoning, both from common experience and scientific evidence, which constantly verifies and never falsifies the truth of the first premise.
en.wikipedia.org
MORE TO COME.
To begin, we must understand what a cosmological argument is, a cosmological argument, in natural theology, is an argument that affirms that the existence of God can be inferred from facts related to causality, explanation, change, movement, contingency, dependence or finitude. with respect to the universe or some totality of objects. A cosmological argument may also sometimes be referred to as a universal causality argument, a first cause argument, the causal argument, or the prime mover argument. Whatever term is used, there are two basic variants of the argument, each with subtle but important distinctions: in esse (essentiality) and in fieri (becoming). The basic premises of all of these arguments involve the concept of causality. The conclusion of these arguments is that there is a first cause (for any group of things that are argued to have a cause), which will later be considered God. The history of this argument dates back to Aristotle or earlier, was developed in Neoplatonism and early Christianity and later in medieval Islamic theology during the 9th to 12th centuries, and was reintroduced to medieval Christian theology in the 13th century by Thomas of Aquinas. The cosmological argument is closely related to the principle of sufficient reason as addressed by Gottfried Leibniz and Samuel Clarke, itself a modern exposition of the claim that "nothing comes from nothing" attributed to Parmenides.
Cosmological argument - Wikipedia
START OF THE KALAAM ARGUMENT
The main point of the argument is based on a simple syllogism:
1. Everything that begins to exist has a cause
2. The universe began to exist
3. Therefore the universe has a cause
Given the conclusion, an additional premise and conclusion are added based on a conceptual analysis of the properties of the cause of the universe:
4. The universe has a cause
5. If the universe has a cause, then there is a personal and uncaused Creator of the universe who without (without) the universe is beginningless, immutable, immaterial, timeless, spaceless, and enormously powerful.
6. Therefore, there is a personal and causeless Creator of the universe, who without the universe is beginningless, immutable, immaterial, timeless, spaceless and enormously powerful.
-Referring to the implications of classical theism that follow from this argument, it is said that... "transcending the entire universe there is a cause that brought the universe into existence ex nihilo... our entire universe was caused to exist by something else beyond him and greater than him", Ex nihilo refers to the belief that matter is not eternal but had to be created by some divine creative act, often defined as God. It is a theistic answer to the question of how the universe comes to exist. Contrast with Ex nihilo nihil fit or "nothing arises from nothing", meaning that all things were formed from pre-existing things.
-Now going more in depth with the premises of the first syllogism, starting with 1:
Several arguments are given to prove the truth of this first premise.
Rational intuition: The first premise is claimed to be evidently true, as it is based on the metaphysical intuition that "something cannot arise from nothing", or "Ex nihilo nihil fit", which originates in Parmenidean philosophy. The fact that something is born without any cause is being born from nothing, which is absurd.
Creatio ex materia - Wikipedia
The other argument that is presented is that if it is false, it would be inexplicable why anything and everything does not arise at random without a cause so the other person by denying it would be committing "Reductio ad absurdum"
Reductio ad absurdum - Wikipedia
The last argument is inductive reasoning, both from common experience and scientific evidence, which constantly verifies and never falsifies the truth of the first premise.
Inductive reasoning - Wikipedia
MORE TO COME.
