Explain the cosmological argument for the existence of God (25 marks) Thomas Aquinas famously formulated his version of the cosmological or "first cause" argument. According to this argument‚ the things which we see around us now are the products of a series of previous causes. But that series cannot go back in time forever. Thus there must be some first cause which was not itself caused by anything else. And that first uncaused cause is God. A lot of the argument is based on Aristotelian views
Premium
Free will is fundamental to human existence (Arnason‚ 2011). Neuroscience implies that free will is not a defining feature of humanness‚ but is in fact an illusion concealed by biochemical complexity (Burns & Bechara‚ 2007). Developments in neuroscience have led us to question our views about whether we have conscious free will (Heisenberg‚ 2009; Nahmias‚ 2009; Smith‚ 2011). Various experiments into the phenomenon appear to show that we do not have conscious free will‚ however these experiments have
Premium Consciousness Brain Mind
man’s life. St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas were two Christian philosophers that analyzed and interpreted the scripture and how God played his role in our lives‚ along with trying to figure out how man is to become happy and do good. Christian philosophy is not focused on self-interest‚ but mainly concentrates on doing good. This psychology of action calls people to be motivated to do good‚ however the real struggle is trying to determine where that motivation comes from. Augustine believed that
Premium Thomas Aquinas
Aquinas Fifth Way of proving the existence of God Question: Briefly summarize Aquinas’ Fifth Way of proving the existence of God. What counter-argument does Hume cite in answer to this argument from Design? What is John Hick’s answer to Hume’s argument from Evil? Is he right? Thomas Aquinas theorized five different logical arguments to prove the existence of God utilizing scientific hypotheses and basic assumptions of nature. In the fifth of his famous "Five Ways"‚ Aquinas sets forth
Premium
1: Augustine’s politics: Church brings people into the city of God. State retrains people in the city of the world. If a person is in the city of God then they honor the state because they can use it for happiness. Summary of City of God (politics): The idea of the two cities is as follows. The "city of God" consists of those who will enjoy eternal happiness with God in heaven‚ the "earthly city" of those who will not. The city of God is not identical with the Church‚ since not all members of the
Premium Augustine of Hippo Soul Metaphysics
Understanding the Roles of gods or goddess in Various Traditional Religions: A Case Study of Hinduism‚ Buddhism and Yorubaland Traditional Belief God‚ gods and goddesses represent different qualities in the human psyche‚ God which we all see as the creator of the universe often called the omnipotent (Everywhere)‚ omniscience and omnipresence while gods are usually the strongest and most influential determinants of a man’s personality‚ as the goddesses are for women. Different kind of gods; longevity‚ child
Premium God Yoruba people Monotheism
and helps us to grasp what it means to be a responsible self according to Augustine. In Book X‚ Chapter twenty-seven‚ Augustine references serval themes that can be seen throughout the book‚ which includes the Prodigal Son and the importance of order. These themes reinstate Augustine’s worldview in that God is in everything and why according to Augustine we must live through God in order to be a responsible self. Augustine addresses the story of the Prodigal Son from the book of Luke‚ in which the
Premium Jesus Christianity Family
Examine the main strengths of the cosmological argument for the existence of God (21 marks) The main question the cosmological argument ponders thought on is ‘Why is there a universe at all?’ The cosmological argument asks the scientific question behind the universe as the design argument asks an emotional one. One of the main strengths of the cosmological argument was brought forward again recently by William Lane Craig. The argument tries to say that the world couldn’t have just occurred‚ there
Premium Existence Cosmological argument Universe
Thomas Aquinas and Augustine: The Problem and cause of Evil Zerrrouk(PN) In this paper‚ I will compare Augustine’s views on the problem of evil‚ and Thomas Aquinas’ view on The Cause of Evil. I will compare the views of both of these philosophers by picking out the similarities and the differences. I will conclude with my own opinion‚ and what one I think is the most viable as a probable case. For Augustine‚ the problem of evil can be phrased in a few several ways. One approach addresses
Premium God Good and evil Metaphysics
St. Augustine’s dichotomy of forms -- the will of man and the will of God‚ the needs of the soul and the desires of the flesh‚ sinful falsehood and the liberation of divine truth -- serves not only to emphasize the direct force and opposition of these forms‚ but to explore their essential duality‚ the interplay of distinct but related states and wills existing both separately and reciprocally of each other. Good and evil‚ however‚ emerge uniquely in their contrast‚ in that the opposition of good
Premium God Good and evil Augustine of Hippo