St Thomas Aquinas version of The Cosmological Argument
Aquinas developed the five ways to prove the existence of God. He based his arguments on what could be observed, his observations included that the universe moves and changes. From his observations he reached conclusions about the existence of God. However, Aquinas did actually accept the fact that he may not prove that the cause of the universe is the God of classical theism. He also did not accept infinity because he believed that there had to be an explanation of the existence of things and that if the chain of movement and causes went back forever there would be no reason for the existence of the universe. He quoted ‘God’s effects are enough to prove that God exists, even if they may not be enough to help us comprehend what he is’.
The first argument was based on motion, he did not believe in movement only from one place to another, but also in the movement of change of quality or quantity. Aquinas argued that everything is in motion, and for something to be in motion something must have been put in motion by some sort of object or force. He believed that the process of moving and being moved cannot be infinite. Therefore there must be a first mover or prime mover that itself is unmoved, this mover must be outside the universe. This mover is God.
The second way was based on causes and effects. He said that from clear observation that every object must be created and that everything that exists has a cause. Aquinas argued that something can’t be the cause of itself. Therefore, they must have an uncaused causer to create them that began the chain of our existence. This means that something must have existed before it existed. Aquinas didn’t believe in the infinite series of causes and believe that there must be a first causer which caused the existence of the universe. This first causer is God.
The third way Aquinas argued was that something must have started the universe and that because the universe began to exist means that the universe must have a cause. This means that that the universe relies on an unquestionable being for its existence. Aquinas argued that everything that exists hasn’t always existed and that every object is dependent on a finite being. Everything is contingent; it cannot last forever, this means that time in infinite and at one point in time, nothing existed. And if there was a time where nothing existed then there would still be nothing and nothing can bring itself into existence. The cause of the universe must be outside time, and this being must not be contingent. This being is God.
Aquinas argues that everything in the universe is in a chain of causes which is dependent from God. However David Hume argues that there is a great difference between causes inside the universe and what caused the universe. We have witnessed causes inside the universe; though we have no experience of the universe being created into existence.
By Page Lloyd.