Philosophy of religion

Who made the ontological argument?

Anselm

What is the ontological argument?

the argument that God, being defined as most great or perfect, must exist, since a God who exists is greater than a God who does not.

Who made the cosmological argument?

Aquinas

What is the cosmological argument?

every finite being has a cause, nothing finite can cause itself. A casual chain cannot be of infinite length, therefore a first cause must exist e.g. a necessary being

Who made the design argument?

William Paley

What is the design argument?

William Paley said that if somebody found a watch they had never seen before, they would be astounded. Finding something with so many tiny little mechanisms in needs to be made by a very clever designer, not by accident. This can be applied to Earth - it is so intricate God must have made it therefore he must exist

What was Humes criticism of the design argument?

- The only way to know the cause of something is to have empirical evidence
- why is the "Creator" God?

How does the problem of evil criticise the design argument?

- The existence of evil and imperfections suggests a limited designer
- The inconsistent triad
- God is all powerful
- God is all loving
- Evil exists

How does 'status as proof' criticise the design argument?

- A Posteori argument can only tell us a conclusion that is likely true.
-We did not observe the creation of the world, so it is just an inference.

How does the 'value for religious faith' criticise the design argument?

-belief in God doesn't equal belief that God exists.
- The argument cannot prove Gods existence, but it does demonstrate that theologians and philosophers can use reason and observation to talk rationally and meaningfully about God.
- Can be used against atheists.

What is Gaunilo's criticism of the Ontological argument?

Gaunilo uses the example of a 'dream island'. You can imagine your dream island, but that doesn't mean it exists.

What is Anselms response to Gaunilos criticism of the ontological argument?

God is a necessary being, so he must exist as he created everything.

What was Humes criticism of the ontological argument?

-Hume argues that you can't define something into existence. He uses 'Humes fork' to show the difference between analytic and synthetic statements.

What was Kants criticism of the ontological argument?

1. Existence is not a predicate
2. Existing 'necessarily' isn't the same as existing in reality

What was Barths criticism of the ontological argument?

Barth argues that Anselms argument is from the perspective of faith, not logic. But Anselm argues that his argument was solely based on logic.

How does 'priori reasoning' criticise the ontological argument?

Anselm is trying to establish Gods existence as a 'matter of fact' through priori reasoning.
Priori arguments reveal logical truths, not factual ones.
So Anselm cannot prove Gods existence with an a priori argument, it would have to be a posteori, yet this isn't possible as we aren't able to get evidence of gods existence.

How does Russell criticise the cosmological argument?

Fallacy of composition- just because everyone has a mother, doesn't mean that everyone as a whole has a mother.

Brute fact- The universe just simply exists, there's no need to question why or who made it.

How does Kant criticise the cosmological argument?

The 'nessasary being' Aquinas mentions could be anyone, not specifically god.

How does Hume criticise the cosmological argument?

Why is god a necessary being?

Why does the world need a creator , but god doesn't?

Aquinas is creating this argument from Experience ( synthetic, A posteori) yet, the idea that God exists 'necessarily' is an analytic statement and you can't mix the two.

How does 'infinite regress' criticise the cosmological argument?

An infinite regress is not Impossible.

Why is an infinite regress 'absurd' ?

The epicurean paradox

Argument that evil exists / God was either unable or unwilling to prevent evil or both → So, God does not exist

Mackie's inconsistent triad

God is omnipotent
God is omnibenevolent
Evil exists

How does Augustine of hippo criticise Mackies inconsistent triad?

He proposes that evil is an absence of good. Evil doesn't exist in its own right, but as an absence of good.

How does 'order goods' criticise Mackies inconsistent triad?

Second order goods do not justify first order evils

How does Plantinga criticise Mackies inconsistent triad?

- Plantinga rejects this because it is not a contradiction.
- moral evil is a consequence of free will and natural evil could be caused by supernatural beings e.g. satan.

Free will defence

MSR1) God cannot eliminate evil and suffering without eliminating the greater good.
MSR2) God allowed evil into the world due to the actions of Adam and Eve. The existence of 'natural evils' allow for the development of Mackies second order goods such as compassion, love and sympathy.

How does the 'amount of evil' criticise the free wiki defence?

When does evil and suffering become too much?
A splinter isn't equal to the Holocaust.

Soul Making Theodicy

The view that God purposes evil to be used for our growth, to allow opportunities for us to show courage, compassion, and sacrificial love and thereby refine our character

How does 'epistemic distance' criticise the soul making theodicy?

- Distance of knowledge
- Gods uncertainty is what ensures our decisions are made out of choice/ purpose rather than to impress God.

How does 'animal suffering' criticise the soul making theodicy?

If evil only exists for soul development why do animals undergo suffering, when they don't have souls?

Process Theodicy

- based on Griffins argument that God is not omnipotent
- God created order knowing evil would be a consequence as without evil, there would be no good.
- God is a 'fellow sufferer' who understands.

Pantheistically

The belief that identifies God with the universe, God is intertwined with the world and vise-versa.