Cosmological Argument and Design Argument – Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from the Cosmological and Design arguments, PSR, criticisms, Darwinian evolution, and related topics from the notes.

Cosmological Argument

An a posteriori, deductively valid argument for God that starts from the existence of contingent (dependent) beings and argues there must be a self-existent, uncaused being (often in two parts: existence of a self-existent being and its being the source of the theistic God).

A priori

independent of experience.

A posteriori

Reasoning or knowledge that depends on experience of the world.

Principle of Sufficient Reason (PSR)

The general principle that there must be an explanation for the existence of any being and for any positive fact.

Self-existent being

A being whose existence is explained by its own nature rather than by anything external.

Dependent being

A being whose existence is explained by the causal activity of other things.

Premise 1 of the Cosmological Argument

Every being (that exists or ever did exist) is either a dependent being or a self-existent being.

Premise 2 of the Cosmological Argument

Not every being can be a dependent being.

G (the self-existent being)

The self-existent being that, in the cosmological framework, produces dependent beings and accounts for their existence.

Anselm’s three cases

Explained by another; explained by nothing; explained by itself—used to classify how beings have their existence explained.

PSRa

First part of PSR: there must be an explanation of the existence of any being.

PSRb

Second part of PSR: there must be an explanation of any positive fact.

Deductively valid

An argument where, if the premises are true, the conclusion must be true; validity does not guarantee true premises.

Infinite regress (in the cosmological context)

The possibility that a causal series of dependent beings goes back without a first member.

Clarke’s A Demonstration of the Being and Attributes of God

1704 lectures presenting a complete eighteenth‑century form of the Cosmological Argument; influenced debate and criticism by Hume.

Hume’s criticisms

David Hume’s attacks on cosmological and design arguments, highlighting objections to justification and induction in natural religion.

Cosmological Argument (two parts)

Part 1: establish a self-existent being; Part 2: show that this being has features of the theistic God.

Dependant vs self-existent in PSR

PSR requires explanations for existence; the first part seeks to show not every being can be dependent, implying a self-existent cause.

Teleological/Design Argument

Arguments that appeal to order and design in the world as evidence of a designer; often linked to Paley.

Paley’s watch analogy

Found watch implies a maker due to purposeful arrangement; used to argue for a designer behind nature.

Antikythera mechanism

Ancient gear-driven device cited as evidence of early sophisticated design (used to illustrate organized complexity).

Intelligent Design (ID)

A movement arguing that certain biological systems are irreducibly complex and require an intelligent designer.

Irreducible complexity

Claim that some biological systems could not arise through gradual, step-by-step evolution.

Darwin’s natural selection

Evolutionary mechanism explaining adaptation and apparent design without a designer.

The “Blind Watchmaker”

Dawkins’ metaphor for natural selection acting as the designer, without foresight or purpose.

Anthropic Principle (weak vs strong)

Weak: life could exist only in a universe compatible with life; Strong: the universe must allow and necessitate life (various formulations).

Fine-tuning

The claim that physical constants are precisely set to permit life, suggesting design, multiverse, or other explanations.

Multiverse

Hypothesis that many universes exist; some may be life-permitting, offering a non-design explanation for fine-tuning.

Problem of Evil

Philosophical problem: reconciling the existence of evil with an omnipotent, omnibenevolent God.

Paradox of Omnipotence

Can an omnipotent being create or bind itself by rules? raises questions about the coherence of omnipotence.

Paradox of Sovereignty

Similar to the omnipotence paradox; examines limits of legislative or ultimate omniscience/sovereignty.

Free will defense

Attempt to solve the problem of evil by appealing to human free will and higher-order goods that justify some evils.

Second-order goods

Goods that arise from dealing with first-order evils (e.g., benevolence, heroism) and may outweigh the evils.

Privation theory of evil

View that evil is not a positive thing but a privation or lack of good.