Studied by 3 people
what are the strengths of the cosmological argument (experience)
It is based on our experiences (a posteriori) and it is logical to believe that the universe had a first cause because everything else in the universe does (cause and effect).
what are the strengths of the cosmological argument (composition)
Dismissing infinite regress prevents fallacy of composition
what are the strengths of the cosmological argument (argument)
Universal argument as it is not focused on one faith’s god
what are the weaknesses of the cosmological argument (Inductive arguments)
are only probable not exactly certain
what are the weaknesses of the cosmological argument (evidence)
Some philosophers (eg. Hume) don’t believe that there is enough empirical evidence to suggest that the universe had a starting point
what are the weaknesses of the cosmological argument (questions)
Raises the question of what God was doing before creating the universe (infinite regress) and who created God
what does Leibniz's sufficient reason
Argument states that nothing can take place without there being sufficient reason for it to take place. Ie. everything must have a total explanation
what is the impact of sufficient reason on the universe
For the universe (which is contingent) to have sufficient reason it must be dependent on something which is necessary (self-explanatory)
what does God as sufficient reason suggest about God/ the necessary cause
Everything in the universe is contingent so this necessary cause must be external, which is possible to be God
what does the Kalam argument argue
Argues that whatever begins to exist has a cause. The universe began to exist which means it had a cause and that cause was likely God.
what type of argument is the kalam argument
Deductive argument (argues from the general, aka whatever begins to exist, to the particular, aka the universe).
how does the kalam argument link to other forms of the cosmological argument
Gives sufficient reason to the universe and links to a first cause like Aquinas says in his 2nd way
what is Aquinas' 1st way
states that there is an unmoved prime mover as infinite regress isn’t possible. We understand this to be God
what is Aquinas' 2nd way
states that there is an uncaused first cause that started the chain of cause and effect to prevent infinite regress. We understand this first cause to be God
what is Aquinas' 3rd way
The universe is contingent (dependent) and once there was nothing, which nothing can come from. Therefore there must have been a necessary being that began the universe. We understand this to be God
What does Hume argue against the cosmological argument (experience)
Hume argues that we have no direct experience to the creation of the universe so we cannot speak meaningfully about it
What does Hume argue against the cosmological argument (sufficient reason)
Hume thought that sufficient reason was pointless as it is like looking for something that cannot be found
What does Hume argue against the cosmological argument (cause)
Even if the universe did begin it doesn’t mean that something caused it to do so
What are the strengths of Hume's argument about the cosmological argument(Aquinas)
Aquinas’ arguments may fall into fallacy of composition (if this is true then…)
What are the strengths of Hume's argument about the cosmological argument (experience)
We didn’t experience the beginning of the universe and therefore don’t have very much empirical evidence for it
What are the strengths of Hume's argument about the cosmological argument (external)
We can’t experience an external necessary being as there are no necessary beings within our contingent universe.
What are the weaknesses of Hume's argument about the cosmological argument (science)
Clashes with the Big Bang theory, a scientific theory stating that there was a first cause to the universe
What are the weaknesses of Hume's argument about the cosmological argument (evidence)
There are things we experience within the universe (such as red shift) that can act as empirical evidence for the universe having a beginning
What are the weaknesses of Hume's argument about the cosmological argument (Kalam)
Clashes with the Kalam argument which states that everything that begins to exist has a cause as nothing can come from nothing
What did Kant argue about the cosmological argument (knowledge)
Argues that our knowledge of the world is limited to what we experience as space and time and it is not possible to speculate on what may exist independently outside space and time as we know it
What did Kant argue about the cosmological argument (language)
Denying that the necessary being God exists doesn’t create a contradiction so this cannot be a necessary proposition so the concept of necessity cannot be applied to God.
what are some strengths of Kant's arguments about the cosmological argument (Hume)
Hume makes very similar points (especially on necessity)
what are some strengths of Kant's arguments about the cosmological argument (evidence)
Depends on empirical evidence being used, trying to make the cosmological arguments more a posteriori
What is Paley's use of analogy in the design argument
watchmaker analogy to compare it to God as the universe is intricate like a watch and therefore it should be assumed that there is a designer
What is Paley's Argument from purpose
watch has been put together to fulfill a purpose and therefore contains evidence of a designer- everything in nature seems to have been designed to fulfill a purpose therefore there is evidence of a creator
What is Paley's Argument from regularity
regularity of watch (regular mechanical movements) can be compared to regularity of the universe which leads us to infer an designer
What are the strengths of the design argument (observation)
We can observe the complexity of the universe- empirical evidence- relates well to our own experiences of the universe
What are the strengths of the design argument (God)
Reinforces the idea that God is involved in the history of the universe and is omniscient, omnipotent and omnibenevolent
What are the strengths of the design argument (purpose)
Gives the universe a purpose- as opposed to it just having a blind nature moving in a random direction
What are the weaknesses of the design argument (conclusion)
Only leads to a probable conclusion
What are the weaknesses of the design argument (Robert Hambourger)
Analogous design arguments constrain and reduce nature as they suggests that nature is like man made objects
What does Hume state about the design argument (houses)
that we have experienced houses being built but not the universe so we cannot speculate
What does Hume state about the design argument (universe)
The universe is unique and we cannot make assumptions on it- the universe is an organic entity meanwhile a watch is a machine- the analogy doesn’t quite work when the things are so different.
What does Hume state about the design argument (designer)
Suggests that there may have been more than one designer- leading into polytheism. Also the designer isn’t specifically omnipotent/ omnibenevolent
What are the strengths of Hume's arguments on the design argument (knowledge)
Prevents us from going too far outside of the scope of our knowledge
What are the strengths of Hume's arguments on the design argument (status)
The universe is given a higher status than it is in the design argument- moving away from analogy allows the universe to be understood and appreciated as a separate organic entity
What are the strengths of Hume's arguments on the design argument (polytheism)
Allows for more faiths, makes the design argument more universal, can be applied to polytheism
What does Swinburne highlight surrounding the design argument
Sheer size of the universe and its complexity are so evident that there must have been a designer
What does Swinburne say about human intelligence in reference to the design argument
Human intelligence, consciousness and questioning is all due to God’s decision to create us with free will
what are the Regularities of co-presence
things tend to turn up in orderly patterns. Nature is the one which creates this, acting as a human-making machine, which is where we learn to make machines- evolution requires particular natural laws to take place to have created this complex world
what are the Regularities of succession
basis of temporal order- - laws of nature are so absolute that one thing always follows another in a predictable order
How does the anthropic principle link to the big bang
Human life as we know it began with the big bang- physical, astronomical and thermal features of change. The best explanation for how well everything is stable to sustain life is that the universe was fine-tuned for human life
what does F.R. Tennant say
the possibility of these events happening by pure chance is so low that there must have been a guiding hand
what is the goldilocks principle
The conditions for the creation had to be just right
What is the Weak form of the anthropic principle
because we are here, the universe must have the properties necessary to sustain life as if it didn’t we wouldn’t be here
What is the Strong form of the anthropic principle
necessary for universe to have the properties it does- it was intelligently constructed and could not have been any other way
What is the issue with the weak form of the anthropic principle
doesn’t explain why the universe is as it is, just states that it has to be that way- unsatisfying
What does Dawkins suggest
Organisms are always evolving to changing environments
How does evolution differ from the design argument
Paley said organisms would suit their environment and were designed that way, but Darwin pointed out that they were evolving to fit the environment they were in
How does evolution go against anthropomorphism
humans became the dominant specifies by developing a larger forebrain, not through any special acts of God’s design
What type of argument is the ontological argument
A priori argument- based on an idea of God, not on empirical evidence. Defining God means that he exists
What is aseity
God contains within himself the means of his existence and so his existence is necessary
What is Anselm's 1st proof
God can be defined as a being than which nothing greater can be conceived- even if non- believers have a definition of God, it suggests that God at least exists in the mind. But this wouldn’t make God nothing which greater can be conceived therefore he must exist in reality too
What is Anselm's 2nd proof
it is greater to be necessary than contingent, therefore God is necessary
What are the strengths of the ontological argument (a priori)
A priori arguments means there is no need for empirical evidence (we don’t have proper empirical evidence for God)
What are the strengths of the ontological argument (reason)
Logical chain of reasoning
What are the strengths of the ontological argument (instinct)
Fits with universal religious instinct and begins discussions on religious language (God as an analytic term)
What are the weaknesses of the ontological argument (a priori)
a priori arguments are difficult forms of logic to comprehend
What are the weaknesses of the ontological argument (Kant)
Kant said that existence isn’t a quality that can define God into existence
What are the weaknesses of the ontological argument (Aquinas)
we don’t know God’s essence therefore we cannot say he exists. We also don’t know what the correct definition of God is (and one hasn’t been agreed upon)
What are the weaknesses of the ontological argument (Hume)
it is not possible to apply an a priori argument to an a posteriori universe
What is Descartes' ontological argument
God is the supremely perfect being, who contains all perfections, existence is a supreme perfection therefore God must exist
What does Descartes suggest about the idea of God
clear and distinct (cannot be doubted) and this idea includes existence therefore he must exist
What does Descartes say about God's existence
A triangle will always have three angles and a mountain will always come with the idea of a valley, to say that God doesn’t exists is a contradiction- God’s existence is a necessary predicate
What are the strengths of Descartes' ontological argument (Anselm)
Simpler than Anselm’s argument as he does not attempt to claim that God exists in the understanding so it is not vulnerable to the accusation of confusing the concept of God with God himself
What are the strengths of Descartes' ontological argument (many religions)
God is characterised as a supremely perfect being- which is a statement that is agreed upon in many religions
What does Aquinas say about God's essence
If we knew God’s essence we would know he existed- but we do not know God’s essence
What does Aquinas say about the definition of God
No agreed definition of God and if there was one we wouldn’t know if it was correct or not
How does Aquinas disagree with Descartes' definition of God
God is not innate or natural (disagreement with Descartes) God is more of an external, timeless being therefore not of our nature
What does Hume say about the type of argument that the ontological argument is
it is not possible to apply an a priori argument to an a posteriori universe
What does Hume say about existence
We cannot treat existence as a predicate as it doesn’t change the definition of the subject
What does Hume say about the statement 'God exists'
not an analytic term as God doesn’t contain the idea of existence like the statement a bachelor is an unmarried man does. The statement is synthetic
What does Kant say about existence as a necessary property
Even if existence is a necessary property of God, that doesn’t mean he exists
What does Kant say about the existence of God
God necessarily exists may be true by definition (subject and predicate are inseparable) but it may not exists in reality like how unicorns are horned horses but that doesn't mean that they exist
What does Kant say about existence as a predicate
Saying something exists doesn’t tell us about the object- predicates describe the subject which existence doesn’t do
What does Russell say about existence as a predicate
Existence cannot be a predicate as it would create a syllogism- like saying that Eeyore exists since dokeys exist and eeyore is a donkey
What does Russell say about intension (I don't understand this xx)
Defining something is to define an intension (internal concept) so properties must be attributed to the subject by it. However existence only acts as an extension to the intension
What does Russell classify 'existence' as
Existence acts more as a existential quantifier than a predicate (corresponds to the subject)
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