Catholic Studies 2

embedded intelligence

if it takes intelligence to figure something out, it must have required intelligence to be created i.e. scrabble falling out to write a poem

irreducible complexity

the idea that certain biological systems cannot be simplified without losing their functionality, implying design i.e. human eye

omniscience

all knowing/knowledge

(willed) love

willingly putting long term benefit of the created ahead of itself

impassibility

neither subject to chance nor capable of change (anything physical/material is changeable)

st Aquinas’ 5 ways

1. motion (change)

2. efficient/uncaused cause

3. contingency vs. necessity

4. degrees of perfection

5. argument for design

2 objections to st aquinas 5 ways

1. if there is evil

2. what explains arriving at universe itself (what created it)

ultimate purpose

revealed by our deepest design that says we are made to know and love

intelligence

ability to think/know

image of God

ability to think (intellect) and ability to choose/love (will)

good

acting in accordance to design of something

bad

acting against the design of a thing

moral good

acting in accordance to human design

moral evil/bad

acting against human design

illative sense

the ability to draw conclusions and make judgements based on a combination of reason, experience, and intuition

authority

the teachings and interpretations of the Church that guide the understanding of faith and reason

integrationism

truths of reason and faith can be harmonized

scandal

attitude or behavior which leads to evil or direction away from God

newtonian cosmology

“steady state” implies its infinite with regard to time and space

modern cosmology

einstein believed the universe was expanding and stretching, used infrared waves to prove it

big bang

the universe created from one singular bang and has been expanding ever since

multiverse hypothesis

universe may have formed by a big bang but there had to be universe before that - physics that blends into metaphysics

deism

idea that God creates universe and then steps away and ceases interaction

anthropic coincidences

conditions necessary for human life - imply design

penrose number

the likelihood of all the universe happening (1/10^10^123)

theory of common decent

idea that all living organisms share a common ancestor, supported by evidence

theory of natural selection

variation of a trait among specimens of a species, survival of best adapted specimens, and successful reproduction of the survivors

humani generis

letter issued by pope pius the 12th that said there’s no problem between the theory of evolution and Christian faith

neo-darwinism

the merging of mendelian genetics with Darwins earlier thinking about principles explaining evolutionary change

emergentism

complex systems and patterns arise out of relatively simple rules - challenges materialist views

theistic view of human nature

humans are created in the image of God, possessing both physical and spiritual dimensions

materialist view of human nature

only reality that exists is physical, no human soul or God - everything we do is because of physical body

cousciusness

we understand that we understand a theorem - probably needs something outside the brain

godels theorem

whenever you look at a solution, the proof has to rely on something outside of it - can’t prove itself

reason why there are some immaterial things

godels theorem, consciousness

universals

though and immaterial reality that allows us to classify things into categories/species

God’s attributes

omniscience, impassibility, being the ultimate purpose of existence

design in the context of theology

utility and symmetry - deepest design reveals ultimate purpose

significance of the Galileo affair

highlights the conflict between scientific inquiry and religious authority, specifically regarding the heliocentric model

relationships between faith and science

dialogue and integration - both inform and enrich understanding of truth

kalaam argument

philosophical argument for the existence of God that asserts that the universe has a beginning and thus must have a cause