Quiz on Thomas Aquinas's Cosmological Argument

What is the main goal of Thomas Aquinas's cosmological argument?

• To demonstrate the existence of God through observation of the natural world

• To refute the idea of an infinite universe

• To prove the existence of multiple gods

• To explain the origin of the universe

Match the following

• Example of a inductive argument

• 1. Socrates was a man (premise)

  2. All men are mortal (premise).

  3. Socrates was mortal (conclusion)

• Example of a deductive argument

• 1. Socrates was Greek (premise).

  2. Most Greeks eat fish (premise).

  3. Socrates ate fish (conclusion).

• Explanation of deductive arguments

• An argument in which true premises guarantee a true conclusion. In other words, it is impossible for the premises to be true but the conclusion false.

• Explanation of inductive arguments

• An argument in which premises offer strong support for a conclusion, but one that is not a certainty.

Which of the following is NOT one of the three ways Aquinas focuses on in his cosmological argument?

• Motion

• Causation

• Contingency

• Design

Drag these statements to the correct category

Groups:

(a) A priori

,

(b) A posteriori

• The speed of light is 299 792 458 m/s

• Dave's gran is older than Dave

• Dubai is warmer than Edinburgh

• 1 + 1 = 2

In the Argument from Motion, what does Aquinas mean by 'motion'?

• Any kind of change

• Change in time

• Physical movement only

• Change in position

According to the Argument from Motion, why is an infinite regress of movers impossible?

• Because it is not supported by scientific evidence

• Because it is a logical fallacy

• Because it doesn't fit the theistic narrative

• Because it would not explain the motion we observe

In the Argument from Causation, why can't something be the cause of itself?

• Because it would require too many further explanations

• Because it would have to exist before itself to cause itself

• Because it hasn't been observed in a laboratory setting

• Because it would have to cause to many other things too

What is the conclusion of the Argument from Causation?

• There must be a first mover, identified as God

• There must be a necessary being, identified as God

• There must be a first uncaused cause, identified as God

• There must be a designer, identified as God

In the Argument from Contingency, what does Aquinas observe about things in the world?

• They are all in motion

• They are all self-caused

• They come into existence and go out of existence

• They are all necessary beings

According to the Argument from Contingency, why can't all beings be contingent?

• Because that would be too simple

• Because it wouldn't account for things in motion

• Because all beings are caused by something

• Because there would have been a time with nothing in existence