Philosophy- Lesson 3 - Kalam Argument

What does kalam mean?

To argue or discuss

Name an Islamic thinker who was influenced by the work of Arisotle

Imam ghazali

Whats an apologist?

Someone who writes or speaks in defense of a cause

In basic terms, state the Kalam Argument

1) Everything that begins to exist has a cuase for its existence, nothing has an infinite lifespan or timeline

2) The Universe began to exist and this is scientifically backed by science (it must have started at some point)

3) Therefore, the Universe has a cause for its existence and the cause is Allah (swt)

What did William Lane Craig have to say about he first part of the Kalam argument?

“Nothing does not have any properties after all, if something can come from nothing why doesn’t this happen more often”

Why doesn’t it rain bicycles?

Because our ommon experience suggests that this statement is true!

What did William Lane Craig have to say about the second part of the kalam argument?

“Infinity is an idea that only exists in the mind, not in reality. This is confirmed by astronomy and physics”

What did William Lane Craig have to say bout the third and final part of the Kalam argument?

“There must be a first independant, uncaused, changeless, timeless being that transcends space and time”

What example did William Lane Craig use to support the kalam argument?

The Infinite Library

Explain WLC idea of the “infinite library”

• Imagine an infinite set of books in a library

• A count of all the ven numbered books is equivilent to the count fo all the books

• How can a part of something be equal to the whole of something?

• Infinite doesnt exist bro

For AO2 marks, what did crtics point out in WLC argument about “infinity”

There are actually 2 types of infinity recognised in mathematics, actual potential however WLC ignores this.