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Is Religion Reasonable? Faith Seeking Understanding

Is Religion Reasonable? Faith Seeking Understanding. The ontological argument The cosmological argument The teleological argument (from design). The Ontological Argument. St. Anselm (1033-1109). P1: “God” means the greatest conceivable being

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Is Religion Reasonable? Faith Seeking Understanding

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  1. Is Religion Reasonable?Faith Seeking Understanding • The ontological argument • The cosmological argument • The teleological argument (from design)

  2. The Ontological Argument St. Anselm (1033-1109) P1: “God” means the greatest conceivable being P2a: A being that exists in one’s mind and in reality (outside of one’s mind) is greater than one that exists only in one’s mind P2b: A necessarily existing being is greater than a merely possible being • Therefore, God must exist in reality

  3. Objections to Anselm’s Argument • Gaunilo: imagining anything as perfect does not make it exist. Reply:the non-existence of everything other than God is conceivable • Aquinas:if there is a greatest conceivable being, he exists; but we cannot simply assume his existence based on our meaning of “God.” Reply:what else could we mean? • Kant: A concept of God + a concept of his existing may be greater than a concept of God alone; but these are only concepts, not claims about existence outside our concepts. Reply: why can’t we discuss such external existence?

  4. The Cosmological Argument: St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-74) • The universe, like all things in it, is contingent (i.e., depends on something else as the cause of its existence); otherwise, it is unintelligible • If there is no essential cause of the universe (that is, if the causal sequence is infinite), then nothing would be happening or be intelligible here and now. But things do exist here and now, so God exists here and now

  5. Hume’s Criticisms of the Cosmological Argument • No being (including God) exists necessarily • If God is eternal, why not the universe too? • Fallacy of composition: parts  whole • Why should we think that everything has a cause or reason for its existence? • Besides, the argument does not prove that God is anything other than a cause of things who might not care at all about his creation

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