P1.2 cosmological arg

• W.L. Craig argument against infinite regress

  analogy of an infinite library - logically inconsistent: take away infinite books, still left with infinite books
• Kant @cosmological argument

  causality is a mind-dependent reality humans impose on the universe
• Russell's criticism of the cosmological argument

  "if everything must have a cause, then God must have a cause". God is not an ultimate explanation as still get infinite regress of causes
• give a response to Russell's criticism of the cosmological argument:

  "if everything must have a cause, then God must have a cause". God not an ultimate explanation

  W.L. Craig: God is necessary so uncaused
• Aquinas: God is the first cause to explain all contingent things

  >> Russell: "if everything must have a cause, then God must have a cause"

  >> W.L. Craig: God is necessary so is uncaused

  >> Hume, Russell: universe is necessary "brute fact", don't need God

  ** Ockham's razor
• Hume, Russell: cosmological arg commits the fallacy of composition

  - mother humanity analogy
• develop this point:

  Hume, Russell: cosmological arg commits the fallacy of composition - cause + effect may not apply to the universe as a whole (mother humanity analogy)

  • cause + effect may not even apply to some things in universe, e.g. quantum physics
  • black swan event - may discover something is different than assumed