Theme A. Inductive arguments – cosmological: Inductive proofs; the concept of ‘a posteriori’. Cosmological argument: St Thomas Aquinas’ first Three Ways - (motion or change; cause and effect; contingency and necessity). The Kalam cosmological argument with reference to William Lane Craig (rejection of actual infinities and concept of personal creator)
BBC Aquinas Leibniz Contingency Kalam Cosmological
Theme A. Inductive arguments – cosmological: Inductive proofs; the concept of ‘a posteriori’. Cosmological argument: St Thomas Aquinas’ first Three Ways - (motion or change; cause and effect; contingency and necessity). The Kalam cosmological argument with reference to William Lane Craig (rejection of actual infinities and concept of personal creator)
BBC Aquinas Leibniz Contingency Kalam Cosmological
Theme B. Inductive arguments – teleological: St Thomas Aquinas’ Fifth Way - concept of governance; archer and arrow analogy. William Paley’s watchmaker - analogy of complex design. F. R. Tennant’s anthropic and aesthetic arguments - the universe specifically designed for intelligent human life.
BBC Paley Teleological arguments
BBC Paley Teleological arguments
Theme C. Challenges to inductive arguments: David Hume - empirical objections and critique of causes (cosmological). David Hume - problems with analogies; rejection of traditional theistic claims: designer not necessarily God of classical theism; apprentice god; plurality of gods; absent god (teleological). Alternative scientific explanations including Big Bang theory and Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection.
David Hume and the Problem of Induction
David Hume and the Problem of Induction
Theme D. Deductive arguments - origins of the ontological argument: Deductive proofs; the concept of ‘a priori’. St Anselm - God as the greatest possible being (Proslogion 2). St Anselm - God has necessary existence (Proslogion 3).
The Ontological Argument (1 of 2)
The Ontological Argument (1 of 2)
Theme E. Deductive arguments - developments of the ontological argument:
Rene Descartes - concept of God as supremely perfect being; analogies of triangles and mountains/valleys. Norman Malcolm - God as unlimited being: God's existence as necessary rather than just possible.
The Ontological Argument (1 of 2)
Rene Descartes - concept of God as supremely perfect being; analogies of triangles and mountains/valleys. Norman Malcolm - God as unlimited being: God's existence as necessary rather than just possible.
The Ontological Argument (1 of 2)
Theme F. Challenges to the ontological argument: Gaunilo, his reply to St Anselm; his rejection of the idea of a greatest possible being that can be thought of as having separate existence outside of our minds; his analogy of the idea of the greatest island as a ridicule of St Anselm's logic. Immanuel Kant’s objection - existence is not a determining predicate: it cannot be a property that an object can either possess or lack
The Ontological Argument. Criticisms from David Hume
The Ontological Argument. Criticisms from Immanuel KantThe Ontological Argument. Criticisms from Gaunilo
The Ontological Argument. Criticisms from David Hume
The Ontological Argument. Criticisms from Immanuel KantThe Ontological Argument. Criticisms from Gaunilo