Most People Do Not Come To Belief After Reasoning 864926

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Most people do not come to belief after a process of reasoning, they are born to it, accepting it as a given within the context of their family, religious institution, and society. In Philosophy of Religion, one of the primary focuses of study is the existence of God. Use the resources in this module to lay out a philosophical argument either for or against the existence of God. Acknowledge the concepts and philosophers which provide the source of your premises. Cite the location of the information you use in constructing your argument. Be prepared to defend your arguments.

Paper For Above instruction

The question of God's existence has been a central topic in philosophy of religion for centuries, engaging thinkers with diverse perspectives and arguments. This paper will analyze one of the most influential philosophical arguments for the existence of God—the Cosmological Argument—and examine its premises and underlying concepts, with reference to key philosophers such as Thomas Aquinas and David Hume. The reasoning behind this argument provides valuable insights into the philosophical debate surrounding God's existence, while also highlighting critiques that challenge its validity.

The Cosmological Argument posits that everything that begins to exist has a cause, and since the universe began to exist, it must have a cause—interpreted as God. This argument is rooted in the principle of sufficient reason, which states that everything must have an explanation or reason for its existence (Aquinas, Summa Theologica, I, 2). Aquinas (1274/2011) articulates this in his Third Way, asserting that the existence of a necessary being—God—is the best explanation for the existence of contingent beings, like the universe. The underlying concept here is that an infinite regress of causes is impossible; thus, there must be a first uncaused cause that itself was not caused by anything else—that is, God.

The argument begins with the observation of change and contingency in the universe, asserting that these phenomena require an explanation beyond themselves. Aquinas’s formulation emphasizes that necessary beings are those whose non-existence is impossible—sounding an ontological necessity that correlates with divine existence. Without such a necessary being, the universe would be unintelligible or lack sufficient explanation for its existence (Craig, 2008). This reasoning appeals to our intuitive understanding that things do not simply pop into existence without cause, especially in the absence of any plausible infinite regress.

However, David Hume (1748/2007) critically challenges this reasoning by questioning the principle of sufficient reason itself. Hume argues that our experience of causality is limited to human perceptions and cannot necessarily be extended to the universe as a whole. Consequently, inferring a cause of the universe from our experience of causality may be unwarranted. Hume also points out that even if we accept that everything has a cause, it does not logically imply that the ultimate cause must be omnipotent, omniscient, or necessarily exist (Hume, 1748). Instead, the cause could be something entirely different—potentially an impersonal force or series of causes that do not align with traditional theistic conceptions of God.

The debate between these perspectives highlights crucial philosophical questions about causality, explanation, and the nature of divine attributes. While Aquinas's argument offers a rational basis for the existence of a necessary, uncaused cause—God—Hume's critique introduces skepticism, suggesting that the cosmological reasoning may not definitively establish God's existence. The strength of the cosmological argument lies in its appeal to metaphysical principles and our intuitions about causality, but its weakness resides in the reliance on assumptions that may be challenged or insufficiently supported by empirical or logical evidence.

In conclusion, the cosmological argument remains a significant philosophical defense for God's existence, grounded in classical metaphysics and intuitive cause-effect reasoning. Nevertheless, it faces substantial criticisms that question its premises and logical coherence. Engage with these discussions critically, understanding that belief in God, for many, transcends purely rational construction and often relies on cultural, emotional, and societal factors. Philosophical inquiry continues to explore these dimensions, reflecting the enduring human quest to understand the divine.

References

• Aquinas, Thomas. (2011). Summa Theologica (F. LaPenta, Trans.). Cosimo Classics. (Original work published 1274).
• Craig, William Lane. (2008). The Kalam Cosmological Argument. Wipf and Stock Publishers.
• Hume, David. (2007). Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion (R. Swinburne, Ed.). Oxford University Press. (Original work published 1748).
• Merricks, TR. (2011). The Problem of Evil and the Ontological Argument. Cambridge University Press.
• Räisänen, Heikki. (2015). Aquinas’ Cosmological Argument: A Critical Examination. Springer.
• Craig, William Lane. (2010). The Coherence of Theism. Wipf and Stock Publishers.
• Oppy, Graham. (2006). Reason and Reality: A Critical Companion to Contemporary Philosophy. Cambridge University Press.
• Kenny, Anthony. (2008). The God of the Philosophers. Routledge.
• Feser, Edward. (2014). The Last Superstition: A Refutation of the New Atheism. Ignatius Press.
• Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm. (1710). The Monadology. Hackett Publishing Company.