The Cosmological Argument is Self-contradictory Essay

The Cosmological Argument, also known as the First Cause Argument, is one of the most important arguments for the existence of God, not only because it is one of the more convincing, but also because it is one of the most used. The thought that everything that happens must have a cause and that the first cause of everything must have been God, is widespread. The cosmological argument is the argument from the existence of the world or universe to the existence of a being that brought it into and keeps it in existence. The idea that the universe has an infinite past, stretching back in time into infinity is both philosophically and scientifically problematic. All indications are that there is a†¦show more content†¦But it is not that simple. I would not be here without billions of causes, from the Big Bang through the cooling of the galaxies and the evolution of the protein molecule to the marriages of my ancestors. The universe is a vast and complex chain of causes. But does the universe as a whole have a cause? Is there a first cause, an uncaused cause, and a transcendent cause of the whole chain of causes? If so, then there is an eternal, necessary, independent, self-explanatory being with nothing above it, before it, or supporting it. It would have to explain itself as well as everything else, for if it needed something else as its explanation, its reason, its cause, then it would not be the first and uncaused cause. Such a being would have to be God, of course. If we can prove there is such a first cause, we will have proved there is a God. If, on the one hand, God were thought to have a cause of his existence, then positing the existence of God in order to explain the existence of the universe wouldnt get us anywhere. Without God there would be one entity the existence of which we could not explain, namely the universe; with God there would be one entity the existence of which we could not explain, namely God. Positing the existence of God, then, w ould introduce as many problems as it solved, and so the cosmological argument would leave us in noShow MoreRelatedOn Being an Atheist1280 Words   |  5 Pagesrefers to the arguments for God’s existence as â€Å"proofs† and often implies that they can’t definitively establish the case for God, so therefore they should be abandoned. However, the biggest problem with viewing the arguments for God’s existence as â€Å"proofs† is that they are not proofs like the proofs in Mathematics which are one-hundred percent certain. (Foreman) These are arguments, not â€Å"proofs†, as there is no way to come to a one-hundred percent certain conclusion with such arguments. Therefore,Read MoreLimitations of the Arguments towards the Existence of God Essays1302 Words   |  6 Pagespropose several arguments to prove God’ existence, however there are no evidence to show that god actually exist. Atheists suggested those arguments provide insufficient reason to believe. Furthermore, some arguments propose that it is possible to disprove the existence of God, or of certain characteristics attributed to God. This article will be discuss the limitation of some arguments for the existence of god and propose some arguments against god’ existence. limitation of arguments for the existenceRead MoreThe Cosmological Argument For The Existence Of God Essay1556 Words   |  7 PagesDoes God exist? At first glance, it seems contradictory to prove the existence of something that is elusive, ineffable, incomprehensible. How to prove the reality of a being who, by definition, is not given in phenomenal experience? My position is that it is impossible to prove the non-existence of God, since I believe that God exists. I would use it the cosmological arguments, teleological and Ontological to prove that God exists. The cosmological argument for the existence of God is as follows: TheRead More The History of the Cosmological Argument for the Existence of God1341 Words   |  6 Pagesof the Cosmological Argument were developed by the world renowned philosophers Plato and Aristotle between the years 400 and 200 BC (Boeree). Medieval philosopher Saint Thomas Aquinas expanded upon their ideas in the late 13th Century when he wrote, â€Å"The Five Ways.† Since then the Cosmological Argument has become one of the most widely accepted and criticized arguments for the existence of God. My objective in this paper is to explain why the Cosmological Argument is a reasonable argument for theRead MoreArgument for Existence of God Essay4707 Words   |  19 PagesArgument for Existence of God The real is the rational, and the rational is the real. In philosophical discussion, no statement is, perhaps, more important or more controversial. Yet, this is the very position that I advocate within this paper. The equation of the rational with the real is at the heart of the argument I here consider, that being the ontological argument for the existence of God. There are several versions of the ontological argument for the existence of God, which is to say thatRead MoreAnalysis Of The Article On Being An Atheist By H. J. Gilman1664 Words   |  7 PagesJ. McCloskey’s, he makes several arguments as â€Å"proof† of God’s non-existence to support his atheism. He attacks arguments made by advocates on the existence of God. The arguments argued by Theist are not arguments for proof of God’s existence but are arguments for definitive beliefs of God’s existence. Any argument on proving the Almighty God’s existence is unsatisfactory. The Theist does not attempt to offer â€Å"proof† of God’s existence but rather offer arguments that are the best explanations ofRead MoreThe Biblical Cosmogony Is Based On The Provisions Of Genesis1282 Words   |  6 Pagesexistence of one man who gave rise to all human beings. Having diverse beliefs on the origin of the universe is a contradictory across the different religions or convictions. However, the two cosmogonies differ from the scientific views on the origin of the universe and humanity. The problem of evil manifests itself as a major obstacle to the existence of God. In this case, the argument is that a perfect, good and omnipresent God would not allow things such as suffering and worldly evil to occur. ThereforeRead MoreA Brief Article On Being An Atheist1922 Words   |  8 Pagesup with a powerful argument about how being an atheist was greater than the theistic way of life. Through this article, McCloskey finds a way to condemn numerous arguments which theist consider as true and in most cases seem to mock and impeach the believers of God. Some of the arguments that McCloskey tries to diminish are the three mutual proofs that most theists depend upon for their belief in God. The proofs include; cosmological proof, teleological proof and the argument from design. McCloskeyRead More Ontological Argument Essay2922 Words   |  12 Pagesexistence of God. These theories are the ontological argument, the cosmological argument, and the teleological argument. St. Anselm of eleventh century, and Descartes of seventeenth century, have used the ontological argument for proving the existence of God. The God, for them, is supreme, quot;needing nothing outside himself, but needful for the being and well-being of all things.quot; (Pg. 305). St Anselm’s account of the ontological argument for the existence of God deals with the ‘existenceRead MoreArticle Analysis of H J McCloskeys On Being an Atheist2019 Words   |  8 Pagesthose well versed in theism can handily refute. In his discussion of the argument from design, which he links with teleological principles, the author refers to the concept of design in a way that alludes to the conviction that there are certain divine manifestations in the world that are so perfect that they must revolve around a grand architect who conceived them to be that way. Therefore, he says that proving such an argument requires indisputable examples of design or purpose (McCloskey, 1968