Russell and Copleston Cosmological argument - ANTHOLOGY

what are the positions of both Copleston and Russell

Copleston = theist

Russell = agnostic

what do they discuss regarding necessary beings

Copleston: if there are contingent beings there must be necessary beings

Russell: rejects the idea of a necessary being

what does Russell perceive god to be

is meaningless for him, therefore you cannot test claims regarding god

what do they discuss in regards to sufficient reason

Copleston: sufficient reason is an adequate explanation for a beings existence

Russell: fallacy of a composition, looking for something that cannot exist

What does Russell say in regards to cause

not everything needs a cause (some atoms do not)

What do they discuss regarding ‘meaning’

Copleston: by discussing wether God exists / created the universe meaning is imposed

Russell: you can look for cause but often there are not any oH

How does Russell use science to support his argument

says that scientific developments show things can appear out of nowhere like atoms

How is the mother analogy used

analogy: everyone in the human race has a mother, the human race itself does not - inductive leap of logic

Who uses the sheep and chocolate analogy

Copleston: chocolate analogy: necessary + contingent beings