Is Religion Reasonable?Faith Seeking Understanding

• The ontological argument• The cosmological argument• The teleological argument (from design)

The Ontological Argument

P1: “God” means the greatest conceivable beingP2a: A being that exists in one’s mind and in

reality (outside of one’s mind) is greater than one that exists only in one’s mind

P2b: A necessarily existing being is greater than a merely possible being

Therefore, God must exist in reality

St. Anselm (1033-1109)

Objections to Anselm’s Argument Gaunilo: imagining anything as perfect does

not make it exist. Reply: the non-existence of everything other than God is conceivable

Aquinas: if there is a greatest conceivable being, he exists; but we cannot simply assume his existence based on our meaning of “God.” Reply: what else could we mean?

Kant: A concept of God + a concept of his existing may be greater than a concept of God alone; but these are only concepts, not claims about existence outside our concepts. Reply: why can’t we discuss such external existence?

The Cosmological Argument: St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-74)

If there is no essential cause of the universe (that is, if the causal sequence is infinite), then nothing would be happening or be intelligible here and now. But things do exist here and now, so God exists here and now

The universe, like all things in it, is contingent (i.e., depends on something else as the cause of its existence); otherwise, it is unintelligible

Hume’s Criticisms of the Cosmological Argument

No being (including God) exists necessarily If God is eternal, why not the universe too? Fallacy of composition: parts whole Why should we think that everything has a

cause or reason for its existence? Besides, the argument does not prove that

God is anything other than a cause of things who might not care at all about his creation