The Cosmological and Teleological Arguments for God
Slide 3
God: What Were Not Talking About
Slide 4
God: What We Are Talking About The arguments for & against
the existence of a supernatural Force. Being. Intelligence.
Designer. Cause. Logical and/or physical necessity.
Slide 5
Conversations about the Existence of God How can we decide
whether God exists or doesnt exist? Are there rational arguments
that demonstrate that God exists or doesnt exist, or at least that
its existence/non- existence is probable? Are questions about Gods
existence/non-existence questions that can/should be approached
empirically? Evidentialism. Nonevidentialism. Theism, atheism, and
agnosticism. Fideism.
Slide 6
Conversations about the Existence of God How do we determine
whether or not to believe? Why do we want to determine whether or
not to believe? Why does the question about whether or not to
believe remain and why do we believe we can find an answer?
Slide 7
Cosmological Argument: First Cause The world contains things
whose existence depends on some cause. Everything that exists is
either uncaused or caused to exist by another thing. There cannot
be an infinite regress of causes. So there must be an uncaused
first cause. An uncaused first cause is what we mean by God.
Therefore, God exists.
Slide 8
Which seems more plausible? The series of causes producing
present events can be traced back infinitely, never leading to a
first cause. The series of causes producing present events can be
traced back to an uncaused cause.
Slide 9
Cosmological Argument: Principle of Sufficient Reason
Everything that exists has a reason for existing (but not
necessarily a purpose). The reason something exists or does not
exist may be known or unknown.
Slide 10
PSR: Contingent and Necessary Something created is something
contingent on its creatori.e. the created thing depends on a
creator for its existence. A contingent thing cannot be its own
cause or its own creator. A contingent thing may or may not
existi.e. it is finite, destructible, and not necessary. All the
things in the world and the world itself are contingent. A
necessary thing does not depend on anything outside of itself for
its existence and nothing can prevent it from existing. It is
uncaused, indestructible, self-sufficient, and independent. God is
the necessary being on which the existence of the world
depends.
Slide 11
Why is there something rather than nothing? 4 Options 1.The
universe is just there and that is all we can say. 2.The universe
came into being out of nothing. 3.Every event had a cause that
preceded it in the past, and this series goes back in time forever.
4.A necessary being (God) created a contingent universe.
Slide 12
Teleological Argument/Argument from Design The universe
exhibits an apparent design, that is, the ordering of complex means
to the fulfillment of intelligible goals, ends, or purposes. We
have usually found a purposive, intelligent will to be the cause of
such design and order. Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that
the universe was caused by a purposive, intelligent will.
Slide 13
The Watch and Watchmaker Universe is Like a WatchUniverse is
Unlike a Watch
Slide 14
Problems for the Teleological Argument? Weak analogy. Choice of
intelligence as cause is arbitrary since there are many other
causes of events. Composition fallacy. Have to have knowledge of
how worlds are created to judge whether this world was created. A
finite, imperfect world does not necessarily imply an infinite,
perfect creator.