Cosmological argument

• What is the cosmological argument?

  Argument for the existence of God based on the idea that the universe requires a cause or explanation for its existence
• What does Plato think about cause?


  Everything has to have a cause
• What does Aristotle think about cause?


  Everything has a cause and that cause is an unmoved mover
• What is an infinite regress?


  Endless series of causes
• What are Thomas Aquinas’ first 4 ways?

  • Unmoved mover
  • Uncaused causer
  • Contingency
  • Perfection
• What is Aquinas’ first way?


  Unmoved mover

  Everything that moves must be moved by something else, and that thing itself can’t be moved

  Similar to Aristotle
• What is Aquinas’ second way?

  Uncaused causer

  Every effect has a cause

  Infinite regress is impossible so there must be a first cause
• What is Aquinas’ third way?


  Argument from contingency

  The world consists of contingent beings

  Everything in the physical world is contingent on something else bringing it into existence
• What is Aquinas’ fourth way?

  Argument from perfection

  Things show varied levels of perfection

  There must be a supreme perfection for all things to fall short of

  This is God
• Who supported the cosmological argument?

  Gottfried Leibniz
• What did Leibniz argue?


  The universe is best understood in terms of relationships between time and space than in terms of facts and rules
• What did Gottfried Leibniz come up with?


  Principle of sufficient reason