Philosophy, Topic #2 Cosmological argument for the existence of God. Cosmological argument: An argument (or set of arguments) that undertakes to “prove” that God exists on the basis of the idea that there must have been a first cause or an ultimate reason for the existence of the universe (Introducing Philosophy, pg 661). This is the definition of this argument according to this particular book. In other words, the cosmological argument is a philosophical argument, which means that…
The cosmological argument takes the presence of the universe to involve the presence of a being that made it. It is an argument that begins from the presence of the universe, and from endeavors to demonstrate the presence of God. This argument draws on involvement from the material world. It is crucial to know that the most this contention can plan to demonstrate is that there exists a vital being who caused everything in the universe. Nagel’s summary of this argument is as follows: (P1) Every…
Response Paper H. J. McCloskey is a proclaimed atheist, and in his article, “On being an Atheist” he explains his views in a unique way from the 1960’s while refuting various arguments and views held by theists. McCloskey brings up a whole pot of valid points in his arguments. However, Evans & Manis, the authors of Philosophy of Religion: Think About Faith and Holmes, the author of Ethics: Approaching Moral Decisions are able to counter and bring up many points and McCloskey’s points…
philosophers throughout history. In this essay, I will critically evaluate Richard Swinburne’s cosmological argument which can be found in this book is there a god? Richard Swinburne states that his book is trying “To reach a conclusion about whether, on balance the arguments indicate that there is a God or that there is not." Richard Swinburne attempts to convey his cosmological argument by attempting to explain how we explain things. Swinburne states that “we can find two different kinds of…
In 1968 a philosopher named H.J. McCloskey wrote an article titled “On Being an Atheist,” which attacked the main arguments held by theists. The main arguments that he refers to as “proofs” are the cosmological argument, the teleological argument, and the ontological argument. McCloskey’s article debunks these arguments as being false and without proof. He states that theists should dismiss the idea of God entirely. He claims in his opening statements that he will show reasons why theists should…
The existence of God has been an argument that society has been fighting for years, along with other debates within them. If you believe that God exists, then the argument would be whether or not Jesus Christ is his one true born son. The cosmological argument only deals with the fact that the universe is created by a great designer. Some say that this argument is illogical because one can simply not know whether or not that there is an intelligent creator, and the universe could create itself…
1. How can I make sure that I am not dreaming right now? Well, according to Rene, “when I see where things come from and where and when they come to me, and when I can connect my perceptions of them with the whole of the rest of my life without a break, then I am quite certain that when I encounter these things I am not asleep but awake” (191). 2. Basically. According to Rene, “I am, then, in the strict sense only a thing that thinks; that is, I am a mind, or intelligence, or intellect, or…
There is a “God”. Call it what you may, but there is a higher being upon us all. Cosmological arguments state that there must be an uncaused cause of the universe. Everything has a beginning and almost everything contains a specific purpose. In order for anything to obtain purpose, there had to have been someone or something to distribute those purposes. That something had to have been in high power due to the fact that it was in existence before those purposes were distributed. All parts of…
How successful is the Ontological Argument in Proving the Existence of God? For centuries, the existence of God has been questioned and argued by many different philosophers. One of the “big three” arguments is the Ontological Argument, an argument that could be said to be valid, as it has a good structure, but the soundness is questionable. The argument was founded by St Anselm (1033-1109) on the basis of two things: firstly, that God is “that than which nothing greater can be conceived” ,…
proof, teleological proof and the argument from design. We can see from his thoughts that many of them could be recognized as truth, but none of them however are verified. McCloskey states that “most Theists do not come to believe in God as a basis for religious belief, but come to religion as a result of other reasons and factors (McCloskey). McCloskey argument was against the use of three Theistic proofs cosmological argument, theological argument, and the argument from design.…