Cosmological Proofs

(Originally written March 7, 2007 in Book 13)

8. Cosmological Argument

The teleological, moral and ontological argument for the existence of God must borrow from the cosmological argument to be valid.

Even if the cosmological argument fails (an thus all theistic proofs fail) belief in God may still be credible, but it will not be philosophically demonstrable.

Plato is credited with the first cosmological argument or etiological argument (argument from a cause).

Plato's Argument for a World Soul

1. Things move
2. Whatever moves, is moved by another or is self-moved
3. Self-movers (souls) are prior to non-self movers, for the antecedent is logically prior to the consequent.
4. Self-movers must be eternal or else there would be no motion.
5. There is motion
6. There must be at least two self-movers:
- good - accounts for regular motion
- evil - accounts for irregular motion
7. Therefore, there is a supreme soul (God) who is the self-mover of the good in the universe.

Aristotle's unmoved mover

1. Things do change
2. All change is a passing from potentiality to actuality
3. No potentiality can actualize itself
4. Therefore, the must be an actuality that actualizes everything, that passes from potentiality to actuality.
5. An infinite regress of actualizers is impossible.
6. The first actuality actualizes everything by final causality
7. There are 47 or 55 of these pure actualities
8. Ultimately, there is only on heaven and one God.

The God of Plato and Aristotle was not the theistic God. It took much refinement to move the cosmological argument to a theistic proof.

Plotinus, a neo-platonist had a cosmological argument

1. Many beings exist.
2. All multiplicity is based on prior unity
3. There must be an absolute unity that is the basis for all multiplicity.
4. This absolute union cannot be a being
5. Therefore, there is an absolute unity (the One) beyond being which is the source of all being and multiplicity.

Plotinus' God was different from the Christian God in a number of aspects

1. Plotinus' God created ex deo (out of himself), not ex nihilo
2. Plotinus' God was beyond all being and positive description
3. It possessed no perfections or characteristics in intel.

Augustine's Argument from Truth

Augustine retooled the Platonic and neo-platonic argument this way:

1. There are timeless and immutable truths
- Absolute doubt is impossible (we know we are doubting)
- We know that we exist

2. Immutable truth cannot be caused
- by sensible things
- by finite minds

3. Therefore, there must be a timeless and immutable mind causing these immutable truths.

Augustine held that God causes truth in every person's mind. Thus, whenever a person affirms truth, he implicitly affirms the Truth (God).

Anselm's Three Cosmological Type arguments

While Anselm is most famous for his ontological argument his earlier work, The Monologian, offered three a posteriori proofs for God's existence

Arg. 1

1. Good things exist
2. Their goodness is derived either from many different goodnesses or from one goodness.
3. It cannot be derived from many goodnesses, for then there would be no way to compare goodnesses and all things would be equally and unequally good (which is absurd), but as a matter of fact some things are better than others.
4. Therefore, all things derive their goodness through one good.
5. This one good is the supreme good, since:
- it is the good through which all other goods derive their goodness
- it is good through itself alone

2nd Form

1) Some beings are more nearly perfect than others
2) Things annoy be more nearly perfect unless there is a wholly perfect.
3) Therefore, there must be a most perfect being.

3rd Form:

1) Something exists (the denial of this is contradictory)
2) Whatever exists, exists either through something or through nothing.
3) Something cannot exist through nothing.
4) This something through which something exists is either one or many.
5) If many, then they are either mutually dependent or all dependent on one for their existence.
6) They cannot be mutually dependent for their existence, for something cannot exist through a being on which it confers existence.
7) Therefore, there must be one being through which all other beings exist
8) This one being must exist through itself
9) Whatever exists through itself, exists in the highest degree of all.
10) Therefore, there exists a supremely perfect Being that exists in the highest degree of all.

Anselm's theistic proof combined at least three elements:
1) The efficient causality of Plato's Timaeus argument
2) The identification of God with the Good of Plato's Republic
3) The Hebrew-Christian concept of God as the cause of the very being of everything