Aquinas & Paley: Cosmological Argument & Design Argument

Why did Aquinas say the causer is uncaused?

• To avoid infinite regress (the chain reaction of 'stuff causing other stuff' going back forever)

• Because it simply wanted to be

• To avoid necessity

• To avoid scientific theories

Answer explanation

Aquinas believed the causer, or 'God', could not have a causer itself - as that would mean God needed something else to exist - and not be the 'unmoved mover'.

Aquinas wrote out his arguments to try to prove God (including the cosmological argument) in which book?

• Summa Theologica

• Republic

• Proslogian

• Natural Theology

What does fallacy mean?

• Mistaken belief

• Argument to prove God’s existence

• A criticism

• An alternative to infinite regression

What does Cosmological mean?

• Study of the origins and development of the Universe

• Study of Design

• Study of Purpose

• Study of God

What other name(s) is the Cosmological Argument known by?

• The first cause argument

• The cosmos argument

• Argument from contingency

• Argument of the falling dominoes

What is a necessary being?

• A being that cannot fail to exist - such as a God

• A being that could have not existed

• A being that might have existed

• A being that exists and doesn't exist at the same time

Answer explanation

A thing exists necessarily if however things had been, it would still have existed

What is infinite regress?

• A chain of causes which can never come to an end.

• A finite chain of events

• A chain of events that goes backwards

• A feedback loop of causes

What does 'The Divine Watchmaker' mean?

• The analogy that a pocket watch is purposeful, complex, and needs an intelligent designer; just like the universe could do also

• A famous watchmaker with a lot of technical expertise; such as Omega or Rolex

• Divine argument that watches are complex, purposeful, and made by God

• God made the world, as a designer made a watch

Who was William Paley?

• A Christian thinker that came up with the Design Argument

• A Christian thinker that came up with the Cosmological Argument

• An Mormon founder that came up with the Church of Mormonism

• A philosopher that was a fan of pocket watches

An example of possible design and purpose in nature?

• Trees take in carbon dioxide and give out oxygen

• A destructive hurricane

• The human appendix which serves no purpose

• The eye's 'blind spot' which causes many car crashes each year