If something causes the universe to begin to exist, then it is not essentially a part of the universe 5. Smiths most recent criticism of the kalam cosmological argument is also a denial of the. Simply put if con can present evidence or argument that successfully dismantles the kalam, con wins. A defense of the kalam cosmological argument and the b.
A defense of the kalam cosmological argument and the btheory of time curtis j. Craig formulates the kalam cosmological argument along these lines. The word kalam is arabic for speaking but more generally the word can be interpreted as theological philosophy. The qurans argument for gods existence hamza andreas. If anyone has any material objections to the kalam proof.
In this article, i discuss the theological problems raised by the kalam cosmological argument that has resulted in criticisms of its utility by some muslim philosophers and theologians, most notably ibn taymiyya. Likewise, in the cosmological argument, the clause begins to exist should not mean the same thing when applied to the universe that it means when applied to individual things within the universe. Over the years many different versions of it have been presented. Oct 20, 2017 from our series entitled does god exist.
First, they reason respectively from the claim that the universe began a finite time ago or that the cosmological constants are finetuned. A critical assessment of contemporary cosmological. Cosmological argument, form of argument used in natural theology to prove the existence of god. But, imagine that we could prove that the universe does have a finite past. The sources used in this presentation are documented according to current modern. The firstcause argument begins with the fact that there is change in the world, and a change is always the effect of some cause or causes. Mar 12, 2020 there are two aspects of the kalam argument that especially make it different from st. The kalam cosmological argument is one of the variants of the argument which has been especially useful in defending the philosophical position of theistic worldviews.
What is the difference between the kalam cosmological. The first part aims to establish that there is a cause of the universe. The kalam cosmological argument is a product of the tradition of islamic science known as ilm al kalam, which was established in order to defend the islamic faith against academic criticism. I the other philosophical argument o ered in defense of premise 2 is that there cannot be an actual in nite in the world, merely a potential in nite. May 03, 2012 william lane craig perhaps, the most well known proponent of the kalam cosmological argument gives a presentation on the philosophical the impossibility of an actual infinite number of things.
Therefore the universe has a cause of its existence. Section 4 offers an entirely new approach to the cosmological argument the approach of theistic modal realism. It is my opinion that the kalam cosmological argument kca is one of the best arguments that one can use as evidence of gods existence. Refuting objections to the kalam cosmological argument. The cosmological argument is less a particular argument than an argument type.
The fact that the universe exists means that somebody must have created it in the first place, and this somebody is most likely god. They therefore are capable of either being or not being. Today this argument, largely forgotten since the time of kant, is once again back at center stage. The k a l a m c o sm o l o g i c a l a r g u m e n t is a modern formulation of the cosmological argument for the existence of god. The most simple criticism of the kalam cosmological argument. The sources used in this presentation are documented according to current modern language association standards. The kalam cosmological argument for god studies in analytic philosophy nowacki, mark r. Hence, this work studies craigs cosmological demonstration on the existence of god, also known as the kalam cosmological argument. What if the universe just popped into existence one day. A fallacy of cosmic proportions the kalam cosmological. The cosmological argument the question at the heart of the cosmological argument is why does anything exist. The argument is that unless god exists, this question is unanswerable. In the absence of good answers to these questions, we must dismiss the kalam cosmological argument for the existence of a god.
Because of its historic roots in medieval islamic theology, i christened the argument the kalam cosmological argument kalam is the arabic word for medieval theology. It means i suspend judgment on the kalam cosmological argument until there is something like a consensus among cosmologists about the beginning of the universe. I think the kalam cosmological argument for the existence of god is one of the strongest defences for theism that i have read. The kalam argument s underpinning is the impossibility of an actual infinite andor the traversing of infinite time, which is what distinguishes it from other cosmological arguments as was mentioned such as that of thomas aquinas, which rests on the impossibility of an essentially ordered infinite regress, and that of leibniz and clark, which. The most simple criticism of the kalam cosmological argument by jonathan ms pearce may 7, 2014 64 comments listening to the reasonable doubts criticism of the dreadful sounding film gods not dead, justin schieber referred to a point made by wes morriston.
The kalam cosmological argument is, essentially, the argument from first cause dressed up in new clothes. Therefore, the universe has a cause for its existence. Craigs argument and then proceed with the change argument. Leibniz continues by quoting horace about joining to a human head a. Moreland 6 the argument from reason 344 victor reppert 7 the moral argument 391 mark d.
Jul 10, 2017 to hang ones metaphysical hat on the cosmological argument is to watch it sail away on the breeze. What are some of the strengths and weaknesses of the kalam cosmological argument. Two recent scientific discoveries have yielded plausible prima facie. Of the many ongoing debates to answer this question, william craig examines one of the most controversial proofs for the existence of god. How to debunk the kalam cosmological argument debating religion. What follows is a short presentation of the kalam cosmological argument for the existence of god. The kalam cosmological argument by theodore schick, he states that there is scientific proof for explaining the creation of the universe, but this proof also provides evidence of what others believe shows the existence of god, who to them, is the one who created the big bang that then created the universe. Two central ones are the kalam argument and the argument from contingent existence. A defense of the kalam cosmological argument and the btheory. Does the kalam cosmological argument depend on the atheory of time.
Thomas aquinas, in his summa theologiae, presented two versions of the cosmological argument. Some accept the scientific evidence at face value, some seek to harmonize the big bang with their religious tenets, and some reject or ignore the evidence for the big bang theory. The kalam cosmological argument, volume 1 by paul copan. Since time and space are a part of the universe itself, calling the big bang an event would place it in a. The kalam cosmological argument has a simple disproof, which should be included in the article. Graham oppy maintains that, despite my replies, the critiques of the kalam cosmological argument offered by a. The kalam cosmological argument written not by curtis hrischuk but by some other fellow what follows is a short presentation of the kalam cosmological argument for the existence of god.
Pdf kalam cosmological argument and the modern science. Craig, mackie, and the kalam cosmological argument in professor mackie and the kalam cosmological argument religious studies, xx 1984, 36775, professor william lane craig undertakes to demonstrate that j. Craigs cosmological presentation on the existence of god is relatively one of the contemporary thoughts widely studied this time. Topics kalam collection opensource language english. The kalam cosmological argument is essentially timebound. Cosmological argument stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. Also the article should mention that for example kant elaborated on this same argument, but added also the proof of the opposite, namely that the world could not have begun to exist. Therefore there is a cause of the universe that is not essentially a part of the universe. We present a formal analysis of the cosmological argument in its two main forms. Sections present a critical discussion of traditional thomistic, kalam, and leibnizian cosmological arguments, noting various advantages and disadvantages of these approaches.
Essay the kalam cosmological argument by theodore schick. To do so, i present craig and sinclair with what i call the interface dilemma. The kalam cosmological argument for god studies in analytic philosophy. Religious interpretations of the big bang theory wikipedia. William lane craig, the kalam cosmological argument, the macmillan press ltd, 1979, p. William lane craigs kalam cosmological argument kca requires that an a theory of time is correct. It is then argued that the cause of those things existence had to be a godtype thing.
Why the big bang singularity does not help the kalam. The kalam cosmological argument by william lane craig. May 23, 2015 the original kalam cosmological argument was developed by islamic scholars in medieval times based on the aristotelian prime mover idea. Moreover, they only establish that the physical universe is caused and not that there is an origin of. One of the most interesting and widely discussed arguments for the existence of god is the kalam cosmological argument, which attempts to prove that it is impossible for the universe to have an infinite past. The kalam cosmological argument is an exercise in positive deist apology which. The ancient kalam cosmological argument maintains that the series of past events is finite and that therefore the universe began to exist. According to aquinas, it is an observed fact that some things have a beginning and an ending. The point of the argument is to demonstrate the existence of a first cause which transcends and creates the entire realm of. On the kalam cosmological argument common sense atheism. Huduth argument in contemporary western philosophy known as kalam cosmological argument is an argument for the existence of god which rests on the idea that the universe has a beginning in time. Hawking succeed in showing that kalam arguments are not rationally compelling pieces of natural theology.
These questions are taken up by the medievalthough recentlyrevived kalam cosmological argument, which has arguably been the most discussed philosophical argument for gods existence in recent decades. The kalam cosmological argument essay 1100 words cram. To arrive at this conclusion, the argument employs facts concerning causation, cosmology, and contingency, as related to the beginning or coming into being of the universe. It states that there must be a final uncausedcause of all things. Explaining the kalam cosmological argument, craig writes.
The kalam cosmological argument only commits one to the necessity of god as an eternal and uncaused being, properties that characterise what philosophers for the last 20 years have been calling a factually necessary being. Craig provides a broad assessment of the argument in lieu of recent developments in philosophy, mathematics, science and theology. The kalam argument and the finetuning argument are not first cause arguments. William lane craig has refined it to make it the cornerstone of his argument for the existence of the god of christianity. Sep 09, 2012 what we call today the kalam cosmological argument, was first made by aristotle and then by islamic scholars in the 9th century. Is the kalam cosmological argument a sound proof for god. May 07, 2014 the most simple criticism of the kalam cosmological argument by jonathan ms pearce may 7, 2014 64 comments listening to the reasonable doubts criticism of the dreadful sounding film gods not dead, justin schieber referred to a point made by wes morriston. The kalam proponent would only be special pleading if he or she said that god began to exist, but made him the exception by saying he came into being uncaused. Aug 19, 2009 what are some of the strengths and weaknesses of the kalam cosmological argument. Exposing logical fallacies the euthyphro dilemma the existence of god the existence of god short version 01 introduction 02 the beginning of the universe scientific 03 the beginning of the universe kalam 04 design in the universe scientific 05 the design argument. William lane craig perhaps, the most well known proponent of the kalam cosmological argument gives a presentation on the philosophical the impossibility of. Refuting objections to the kalam cosmological argument for gods existence. Argument more recently advocated by william lane craig. Big bang cosmology not especially congenial to faith.
The kalam cosmological argument for god studies in analytic. The kalam s line of reasoning maintains that the series of past events cannot be infinite but rather is finite. Please show humility as this is a genuine question so no trolling. The goal is not to offer a thorough defense or refutation of the argument in the original post, but to unpack it togeth. The cosmological argument is probably the most popular of the theological existence proofs. The kalam cosmological argument meets the mentaculus danlinford abstract. It has recently been argued that a defense of the kalam cosmological argument does not have to involve such a commitment to the atheory. Mackies analysis of the kalam cosmological argument. All ebooks, links to which are on the site, located on the public sites not affiliated with us to which our website does not have any relation. Craig provides a broad assessment of the argument in lieu of recent developments in philosophy, mathematics, science and. If the argument proves the universe had a beginning. The cosmological argument derives its title from observing the world around us the cosmos.
New support for the cosmological argument catholic answers. These questions have been intelligently addressed in a paper entitled the kalam cosmological argument and the problem of divine creative agency and purpose. The kalam argument popular writings reasonable faith. In defense of kalam scholarly works reasonable faith. What are some of the strengths and weaknesses of the kalam. Mackie affirms that there is no good reason to assume a priori that an uncaused beginning of all things is impossible. This paper is concerned with the kalam cosmological argument, which aims to demonstrate that the universe was created ex nihilo by a personal creator. Refutation of the kalam cosmological argument and others. The cosmological argument essay the cosmological argument the cosmological argument attempts to prove that god exists by showing that there cannot be an infinite number of regressions of causes to things that exist.
In this essay, we have seen that the quran provides an intuitive and powerful argument for gods existence. Philosophy of religion internet encyclopedia of philosophy. William lane craisgthe kalam cosmological argument 1979 is also a good idea for such readers wesley j wildman. William lane craigs recent form of the kalam cosmological argument. Pdf the kalam cosmological argument and the problem of. However, all proponents of the kalam cosmological argument hold that a god is uncaused, uncreated. Sound is defined as a logically valid argument that withstands all scrutiny. On guard by william lane craig 1 whatever begins to exist has a cause. The argument, in its simplest form, is that i whatever begins to. The kalam cosmological argument is an exercise in positive deist apology which aims to demonstrate that the existence of god can be inferred to be highly probable. The kalam cosmological argument the cosmological argument attempted to prove that, regardless of whether or not the universe has a finite past, it requires a cause that is outside of the universe.
A couple weeks ago, we kicked off a new series of posts where well introduce one of todays most popular arguments for or against god, and then invite openended discussion. Metcalfe abstract william lane craig is the most recognizable contemporary defender of the kalam cosmological argument. A cosmological argument, in natural theology and natural philosophy not cosmology, is an argument in which the existence of god is inferred from alleged facts concerning causation, explanation, change, motion, contingency, dependency, or finitude with respect to the universe or some totality of objects. Objections to the kalam cosmological argument for god.
Another form of cosmological argument is commonly referred to as the kalam. The point of the argument is to demonstrate the existence of a first cause which transcends and creates the entire realm of finite reality. We also discuss some objections that have been leveled at the kalam argument. Since the emergence of the big bang theory as the dominant physical cosmological paradigm, there have been a variety of reactions by religious groups regarding its implications for religious cosmologies. He tries to present to us an interesting relatively new analogy, that leads to. Refutation of the kalam cosmological argument and others i know this has been done approximately a million times already, but i wanted to do it myself, just as an intellectual exercise. The argument is that whatever begins to exist has a cause. It uses a general pattern of argumentation logos that makes an inference from particular alleged facts about the universe cosmos to the existence of a unique being, generally identified with or referred to as god. When i say cite sources i am looking for more than wikipedia. Of all the apologia that i encountered, my own personal opinion is that the two arguments which make the best case are the argument from first cause and the argument from design. Paley 06 aquinass essence existence distinction 07. Proponents of the kalam argument go on to argue that god is the.
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