Monday, December 30, 2019

Aquinas Arguments for the Existence of God Essay

Aquinas Arguments for the Existence of God In Summa Theologica, Question 2, Article 3, Aquinas attempts to prove the existence of God. He begins with two objections, which will not be addressed here, and continues on to state five arguments for the existence of God. I intend to show that Aquinas first three arguments are unsound from a scientific standpoint, through support of the Big Bang theory of the creation of the universe. In the first and second arguments Aquinas begins by stating that some things change and that the changes to these things are caused by things other than themselves. He says that a thing can change only if it has a potentiality for being that into what it changes.†¦show more content†¦It is in the last premise that I encounter problems. According to the most prevalent Big Bang theory, the universe began from a singularity. Singularity is a point of zero space and infinite mass, density, and curvature. Because of these extraordinary circumstances within the singularity there is no time and all of the laws of physics as we know them cease to exist. Because this strange situation is exempt from the normal laws that govern the universe it is possible for this singularity to have exploded without cause. There is no time at the instant of singularity and all time and space began the instant after the explosion of the singularity, aptly named the Big Bang. This is the beginning o f the universe and the event that caused it is exempt from the normal laws that now cause the universe to function in the way it does. This exemption can explain away the beginning of Aquinas chain of events and changes, thus eliminating the necessity of a God. The argument that God caused the singularity and the Big Bang can also be explained away, although in somewhat more complicated terms. In the first second after the Big Bang nearly all of the laws of the universe, as well as the combinations and forms of matter were already formed and well on their way away from the center of the explosion. There are an infinite number of way that the particles inside the singularity couldShow MoreRelatedComparing Aquinas And Descartes Arguments For The Existence Of God766 Words   |  4 PagesAquinas and Descartes both have arguments for the existence of God, with some similarities and a multitude of differences. Descartes presents two major premises in his argument with his degrees of reality principle and his casual adequacy principle. It is possible for Descartes to be influenced by Aquinas, but the arguments for the same thing differ greatly that even if any inspiration Descartes could have pulled from Aquinas work is minimal, to say the lea st. Comparing Aquinas and Descartes theyRead MoreSir Thomas Aquinas And William Paley s Argument On The Existence Of God1176 Words   |  5 PagesThomas Aquinas and William Paley present two arguments for the existence of God. Aquinas defines God as omnibenevolent (all good) for his argument, and he continues in â€Å"The Five Ways† to present arguments to prove God’s existence (Rosen et al. 11). Paley, on the other hand, primarily defines God as a designer worthy of our admiration for his work (Rosen et al. 27). During class discussion, defining God involved three major qualities: omnipotence, omniscience, and omnibenevolence. Both Aquinas and PaleyRead MoreAquinas’ has five proofs for Gods existence. His first proof is an argument from motion. Nothing600 Words   |  3 PagesAquinas’ has five proofs for Gods existence. His first proof is an argument from motion. Nothing can move itself unless it was placed into motion. His second proof is an argument from efficient causes. 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