Some of Aquinas’ "Five Ways"
(Perry, pp. 47-9)Cosmological Proofs for the Existence of God (Motion and Causation):
First way (Motion):
1. Something Moves.
2. Everything that moves must have a mover
3. Nothing moves all by itself.
4. Everything in motion must be put in motion by something else.
5. So there is a chain of movers.
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6. If a chain of movers had no beginning, then it never could have happened (It wouldn’t ever have begun.)
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7. The chain of movers must have a beginning (a first motion).
8. This first motion must have been put in motion by a first mover.
9. God is the source of this first motion
10. God Exists.
Second Way (Causation):
1. Something exists.
2. Everything that exists must have a cause.
3. Nothing is the cause of itself. [Causes must be prior to effects.]
4. Everything that exists must have been caused by something other than itself.
5. There is a chain of causation (a causal order).
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6. Every causal chain must have a beginning. (Otherwise it wouldn’t have occurred.)
7. The chain of causation must have a beginning.
8. This beginning must have a first cause.
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9. God would have to be the first cause.
10. God exists.
Possible replies to these cosmological arguments:
(1) What can we tell from this about the nature or character of God? Why should we believe that the first cause or mover also be the source of moral standards?
(2) Have we any reason to believe that the first cause or mover still exists?
(3) Possibility of multiple first causes or movers: Why suppose all motions or origins ground out to a single source?
Aquinas’ Fifth Way (Governance of the World):
1. Some things lacking knowledge act reliably to obtain the best result.
2. Such things that lack knowledge act for an end. (They seem to serve a purpose.)
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3. Whatever lacks knowledge cannot move towards an end, unless it is directed by a being with knowledge and intelligence.
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4. Some intelligent being (which we call God) directs all natural things to their ends.
Paley’s version ("The Argument from Design"):
1. Anything that is exquisitely constructed and well adapted must have been designed by an intelligent designer. (Analogy of finding a watch on a beach)
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2. The universe is filled with exquisitely constructed, well adapted things.
3. The universe is filled with things that were designed by an intelligent designer.
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4. These things are so exquisite that only God could have designed them.
5. God Exists.
Replies:
(1) Failure of watch analogy: Might there be ways to bring about exquisiteness that doesn’t invoke a higher power?
(2) Possibility of multiple deities?
(3) Problem of Evil: One cannot attribute more to the cause than what is observed in the effect (Hume). Given the amount of observed, seemingly pointless suffering in the world, what are we to think of this designer? (Could he possibly be omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent?)
A Little Extra ("Pascal’s Wager")
Either God exists, or he doesn’t. However, no one can prove he exists, just as no one can prove he does not.
Nevertheless, if God exists, then you will receive eternal salvation for leading a Christian way of life, and you will suffer eternal damnation for not comporting yourself as a Christian.
If, on the other hand, God doesn’t exist, then it won’t matter much in the end, whichever way you choose to live your life.
Thus you should choose to live a Christian way of life, for you should do whatever you can to receive eternal salvation and to avoid eternal damnation.