The Cosmological

Argument
• The Cosmological Argument refers to a
collection of arguments from ancient
Greek – modern times.
• In Timaeus, Plato puts forward a
version . So does the 4th Greek thinker
Aristotle. Rene Descartes and Leibniz
also support.
• William Lane Craig and Richard
Swinburne are modern proponents.
• Cosmological arguments are a
posteriori and inductive.
• CA’s argue from features in the world
and inductively infer there must be a
God behind.
• The conclusion does not necessarily
follow from the premises.
• David Hume, Immanuel Kant and
Bertrand Russell main critics.
 Proving God
inductively….
• P: Every event must have a
cause.
• P: The universe is an event.
• C: God is the cause of the
universe.
• St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
philosopher & theologian - one of
most famous exponents.
• Massively influenced by Aristotle.
• In the ‘Summa Theologica’
(Greatest things of theology) –
known as ‘five ways’ – ‘way’ means
‘method’.
• He proposed 5 methods or ways
of demonstrating the existence
of God.
• All 5 are a posteriori, inductive
arguments.
1. The unmoved mover
• “Kinetological” argument, from Greek
“kinetikos” means “to move”.

• Everything that is moved or changing (i.e.

more or less everything) is moved or
changed by something outside itself.
• The instigator of the motion or change in
a thing is also changing or in motion.
• And so on ….
• And so on…. (Aquinas ‘actualising
potentials’ Aristotle) Wood has
potential/fire actualise it.
• This process cannot go back infinitely,
since then there would be no “First
Mover”.
Therefore there must be a First Mover,
independent of any thing else. This is
what everyone understands to be God.
2. The uncaused cause

• “Aetiological” argument, from

Greek “aetia” means a cause.
Argument from Causation.

• Every effect has a cause – c,d

etc.
• Nothing that we experience can
be caused by itself.
• As with 1 there cannot be an
infinite regression of causes.
Therefore there must be a First
Cause. This is what everyone
understands to be God
Cause and effect
God as the first cause

Aquinas said that there must be a first

cause that was uncaused which caused
everything else to come into existence.
This first cause must be God.

God is the God is the

first mover first caused

God is the God is the

moved unmoved
mover mover

Which two phrases above are correct

according to Aquinas? Click to see if
you are right.
Debating the cosmological
argument

Strengths Weaknes
ses
It explains what There could be no
caused the beginning of
universe to exist anything
It makes sense to say There could be
that God is uncaused an endless chain
otherwise God would reaction of
not be the greatest causes that go
We can relate to this back forever
argument. Strength a
posteriori argument.

What would an
atheist think?
 Aquinas based his argument on
Aristotle’s views on causation.

1. Material Cause-material from

which it is made.
2. Efficient Cause-agent that brings
things about.
3. Formal Cause-the kind of thing that
something is (its form)
4. Final Cause-the goal or purpose
that a thing moves towards.
 3. Contingency &
Necessity
• Referred to as ‘The Cosmological
Argument’.
• All things in nature are subject to change.
• It is possible for a thing not to be, then to
come into existence, and then to cease to
exist. The universe is contingent.
• If this is so, then at sometime there was
nothing at all.
• If this is so, then there must be something
that brings contingent things into
existence, since nothing can come from
nothing.
Therefore there must be a being that
necessarily exists (not dependent on
other beings) to bring the contingent world
into being. This is what everyone
understands to be God.
 4. Excellence

• Everything in the world that

exists is more or less good.
There are varying degrees of
excellence.
• There cannot be an infinite
scale of good.
Therefore there must be
something that is perfection.
This is what everyone
understands to be God.
 5. Purpose (a
teleological argument)
• Everything works to some purpose
or other.
• This cannot just be luck, since
things that have no rational powers
still have purpose. They must be
directed by some external power.
Therefore there is an intelligent being
which directs everything towards a
purpose. This is what everyone
understands to be God.
 Tasks:

1. Give an outline of Aquinas’

version of the cosmological
argument.

2. Do you find this argument

appealing?? Explain
carefully.
 a priori a posteriori

The proof of The proof of the

the statement statement relies on
does not rely external (empirical)
on external evidence.
evidence.
For example: the
For example: girls in year 11
All bachelors achieved higher
are unmarried. grades than the
John is a boys.
bachelor John
is unmarried.

Analytic – Synthetic –
Inductive
Deductive