The universe (consisting of space & time) began to exist, thus Space & Time had a cause. An alternative way to argue against the past eternity of the universe is through the impossibility of traversing (counting/crossing/completing) infinity. Craig replies that the phenomenon of indeterminism is specific to the Copenhagen Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics, pointing out that this is only one of a number of different interpretations, some of which he states are fully deterministic (mentioning David Bohm) and none of which are as yet known to be true. Also, if there is a hard stop in the future for the number of days, and yet we posit an infinite past, wouldn’t the end of the chain of days have already arrived an infinite amount of time ago? Any defense you could give of the principle would be based upon premises which are less obvious than the principle itself. The Kalam Cosmological Argument leads us to the conclusion that the universe does, indeed, have a cause. Honestly, I do find the Kalam argument (KCA) powerful, but of course I first encountered it from the perspective of a believer. He concludes that subatomic physics is not a proven exception to the first premise. So, he concludes that this is a kind of first principle of metaphysics. Why or why not? Huduth argument (in contemporary Western philosophy known as Kalam Cosmological argument) is an argument for the existence of God which rests on the idea that the universe has a beginning in time. He appeals to David Hume’s thesis (An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding) that effects without causes can be conceived in the mind, and that what is conceivable in the mind is possible in the real world. Question 2: Should I try to do another debate on the KCA? The Kalam Cosmological Argument The Cosmological Argument attempted to prove that, regardless of whether or not the universe has a finite past, it requires a cause that is outside of the universe. Being only comes from being. The Kalam is an apologetics argument that claims everything has to have a cause except for the thing the arguer is claiming exists without a cause. Philosophically, Craig states that this statement is a first principle of metaphysics. PRIMARY SOURCE: Dr. Craig Videos; Kalam Cosmological Argument. Adapted from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. One of the earliest formulations of the cosmological argument in Islamic tradition comes from Al-Ghazali, who writes: “Every being which begins has a cause for its beginning; now the world is a being which begins; therefore, it possesses a cause for its beginning.”. There are different forms of the argument. I think that pretty much covers it. Craig has defended the A-theory against objections from J. M. E. McTaggart and hybrid A–B theorists. Since this information cannot exist in a material way (e.g., how a ball possesses a spherical pattern), it must exist in an immaterial way. In a critique of Craig’s book The Kalam Cosmological Argument, published in 1979, Michael Martin states: “It should be obvious that Craig’s conclusion that a single personal agent created the universe is a non sequitur. Craig cannot validly conclude that a single agent is the creator. Therefore, the universe cannot be infinitely old. Since space, time, and matter have a beginning, a first effect, it would follow that its cause must be space-less, timeless, and matter-less. [iii] Therefore the universe must have a cause for its Craig has criticised Balashov for adopting a verificationist methodology that fails to address the metaphysical and theological foundations of the A-theory. The Kalam Cosmological Argument leads us to the conclusion that the universe does, indeed, have a cause. If the PPC is not accepted, given that the cause of the universe must be a personal and free agent, the complexity and precision of the universe implies extreme intelligence. “–Defenders Podcast, “The Cosmological Argument (Part 1)” | Reasonable Faith,”. The mathematical impossibility of forming an actual infinite by successive addition. Kalam is a valid logical syllogism with invalid or unvalidated premises. The Cosmological Argument (also known as the Kalam cosmological argument), is a philosophical argument for the existence of God or a first cause that brought the entire universe into existence. 2. The first two are purely philosophical arguments; the second two are scientific confirmations of the conclusion reached by the philosophical arguments. All Rights Reserved. A classic which has recently been re-polished and re-popularized, it has withstood the test of time in its field. Quantum mechanics does not in fact posit something coming from nothing, but rather things coming from the quantum vacuum–which is not “nothing.” Everything that exists has an explanation of its existence. This argument has been criticised by Bruce Reichenbach and G.E.M. The second premise follows also from A Theory along with the nature of infinity being endless. The Kalam cosmological argument has received criticism from philosophers such as J. L. Mackie, Graham Oppy, Michael Martin, Quentin Smith, physicists Paul Davies, Lawrence Krauss and Victor Stenger, and authors such as Dan Barker. Modern discourse encompasses the fields of both philosophy and science (quantum physics and cosmology), which Bruce Reichenbach summarises as: “… whether there needs to be a cause of the first natural existent, whether something like the universe can be finite and yet not have a beginning, and the nature of infinities and their connection with reality”. Jamie is a follower of Jesus Christ, a husband, and a father He currently resides in the state of Florida. Referring to the implications of Classical Theism that follow from this argument, Craig writes: “… transcending the entire universe there exists a cause which brought the universe into being ex nihilo … our whole universe was caused to exist by something beyond it and greater than it. supernatural. To remain reasonable, one must agree that these sound like certain attributes of the Christian God. The most commonly used form is “horizontal,” also known as the kalam cosmological argument. The cosmological argument shows that in fact it is quite reasonable to believe that God does exist. Oppy states: “Mackie, [Adolf] Grunbaum, [Quentin] Smith and I—among many others—have taken issue with the first premise: why should it be supposed that absolutely everything which begins to exist has a cause for its beginning to exist?”. Being does not arise from non-being. […] This literature was highly treasured by many Jewish enthusiasts, in... […] Judea and the Therapeutae in Egypt, were said to have a “secret”... […] (طهارة‎, ṭaharah) is an essential aspect of Islam. While refutation exists from those who hold to a philosophy of naturalistic materialism, the rationality of a supernatural cause of all things is evident from both philosophical reasoning and scientific evidence. Further, Aristotle described metaphysics as the study of being. If anyone has any material objections to the Kalam proof , … It reached medieval Christian philosophy in the 13th century and was discussed by Bonaventure, as well as Thomas Aquinas in his Summa Theologica (I, q.2, a.3) and Summa Contra Gentiles (I, 13). In 1929, Edwin Hubble observed that wherever you look, distant galaxies are moving away from us, also inferring that at some earlier time all matter would have to be in the same place. The principle is obvious to anybody who understands it. Scientists and Philosophers alike are engendered to ask the questions why and how. The metaphysical impossibility of an actually infinite series of past events by citing David Hilbert’s famous Hilbert’s Hotel thought experiment and Laurence Sterne’s story of Tristram Shandy. Islamic perspectives may be divided into positive Aristotelian responses strongly supporting the argument, such as those by Al-Kindi, and Averroes, and negative responses critical of it, including those by Al-Ghazali and Muhammad Iqbal. This is basically just another way of claiming something has always existed, and Copyright © 2021 Classical Christian Thinking with Jamie. For it is no secret that one of the most important conceptions of what theists mean by ‘God’ is Creator of heaven and earth.”. To finish the series at a certain point, and to elevate one member of the series to the dignity of an un-caused first cause, is to set at naught the very law of causation on which the whole argument proceeds.”, According to the atheist philosopher Quentin Smith, “a count of the articles in the philosophy journals shows that more articles have been published about Craig’s defense of the Kalam argument than have been published about any other philosopher’s contemporary formulation of an argument for God’s existence.”. 1komma5grad-quellen – Matthias Ziemer Photography says: Earth’s Crisis and Evolution Series- Part 1 Finding Commonality in Religious and Spiritual Pathways – SacredFireofKnowledge says: Premise one: “Whatever begins to exist has a cause.”, Premise two: “The universe began to exist.”, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window), Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window), “Initial Arguments: A Defense of the Cosmological Argument for the Existence of God”, “Cosmological Argument: The Causal Principle and Quantum Physics”, 1komma5grad-quellen – Matthias Ziemer Photography, ... [Trackback] [...] Read More Infos here: slife.org/ethics-in-religion/ [...], […] https://www.discovermongolia.mn/about-mongolia/culture-art-history/religion-in-mongolia https://slife.org/mongolian-shamanism/ https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-religions-are-practiced-in-mongolia.html […], ... [Trackback] [...] Find More Informations here: slife.org/western-slang-lingo-and-phrases/ [...], ... [Trackback] [...] Read More: slife.org/mens-rights-movement/ [...]. It is very simple and easy to memorize. The argument is as follows: Whatever begins to exist has a cause. Philosopher Quentin Smith has cited the example of virtual particles, which appear and disappear from observation, apparently at random, to assert the tenability of uncaused natural phenomena. Despite Craig’s claim that theories postulating that the universe ‘could pop into existence uncaused’ are incapable of ‘sincere affirmation,’ such similar theories are in fact being taken seriously by scientists.”. Be sure to leave a comment about this post below. In addition to Occam’s Razor, it may be argued that the unicity and coherence of the universe implies a single agent behind the creation of the universe. The term kalam is Arabic and means “eternal.” Then, you are able to deduce a number of attributes of this first cause that make it plausibly identifiable as God. It was refined in the 11th century by Al-Ghazali (The Incoherence of the Philosophers), and in the 12th by Ibn Rushd (Averroes). The first argument and backing for the second premise, “The Universe Began to Exist,” is philosophical. In the subsequent Blackwell Companion to Natural Theology, published in 2009, Craig discusses the properties of the cause of the universe, explaining how they follow by entailment from the initial syllogism of the Kalam cosmological argument: Craig concludes that the cause of the existence of the universe is an “uncaused, personal Creator … who sans the universe is beginningless, changeless, immaterial, timeless, spaceless and enormously powerful”; remarking upon the theological implications of this union of properties. Basically, this is saying that things don’t come into being out of nothing. According to the kalam, there can be only one itself-uncaused-and-eternal thing that causes all other things, and that first cause is God. Since an actual infinite number of things can’t actually exist, then the universe can’t be infinite in the past and must have a beginning. Almost there! Answer: This is a fundamental misunderstanding of the claim. The ancient philosopher Isaiah declared, “lift up your eyes on high and see, who created these?” (Isaiah 40:26), reminding his people that what we see should lead us to ask why we see it. Therefore, the cause must possess all information in the universe and is thus all-knowing. Let’s take a brief look at the two premises. Good day, Mr Minton, I've happened to stumble upon your blog post on the Kalam Cosmological Argument, and I seem to have a few objections which I don't think you have ever addressed, whether in that blog post or in the blog category. The only assumption that we made was that the expansion rate of the universe never gets below some nonzero value, no matter how small.”, Victor J. Stenger has referred to the Aguirre-Gratton model for eternal inflation as an exemplar by which others disagree with the Borde-Guth-Vilenkin theorem. On the topic of virtual particles, he writes: “For virtual particles do not literally come into existence spontaneously out of nothing. Craig holds four arguments in favor of the beginning of the universe. The phrase "first cause" is sometimes used as an alternative noun for God among individuals uncomfortable with the historical and religious meanings as… The Kalam cosmological argument has been reintroduced with some rigour into the philosophy of religion through the work of analytic philosopher William Lane Craig. Craig formulates the Kalam as follows: P1. We don’t even have experience of the coming into being of anything remotely analogous to the “initial singularity” that figures in the Big Bang theory of the origin of the universe.”. This latter fact is well known, however, and shows nothing about whether it is logically impossible to have actual infinities in the real world.”. But if it extends infinitely, how could one start it at a beginning? There have been many versions of the cosmological argument, but the KCA hearkens back to a Muslim theologian named Al-Ghazali. Along with much of classical Greek philosophy, the concept was adopted into medieval Islamic tradition, where it received its fullest articulation at the hands of Muslim scholars, most directly by Islamic theologians of the Sunni tradition. A common objection to premise one appeals to the phenomenon of quantum indeterminacy, where, at the subatomic level, the causal principle appears to break down. Whatever begins to exist has a cause. The argument’s key underpinning idea is the metaphysical impossibility of actual infinities and of a temporally past-infinite universe, traced by Craig to 11th-century Persian Muslim scholastic philosopher Al-Ghazali. This premise is supportable both philosophically and scientifically. It was popularized in the western world by William Lane Craig in his book, The Kalām Cosmological Argument (1979). The first premiss of the kalam cosmological argument is obviously more plausibly true than its contradictory. If A Theory is correct, all past moments would have to occur before the present, which would vindicate the first premise. Here's the kalam/cosmological argument as rendered deductively by Craig (see included links for details): 1. whatever begins to exist has a cause of its existence 2. the universe began to exist 3. therefore, the universe has a cause of its existence Therefore He states: “We have no experience of the origin of worlds to tell us that worlds don’t come into existence like that. The Principle of Proportional Causality (PPC), which states that whatever is present in the effect must be somehow present in the cause, would require the patterns and information of the universe to be present within the cause somehow. The Kalam cosmological argument is a modern formulation of the cosmological argument for the existence of God. It does not behove you to say that an infinite regress of causes is impossible.”, “A finite effect can give only a finite cause, or at most an infinite series of such causes. Similarly, if the number of days extends infinitely into the past, how did we arrive at today? Through-out history, man has looked at the star-filled night sky and wondered at the purpose behind its existence. Professor Alexander Vilenkin, one of the three authors of the Borde-Guth-Vilenkin theorem, writes: “A remarkable thing about this theorem is its sweeping generality. If both philosophy and science conclude that there was a beginning to our universe (a first event), then we should also inquire about the first cause if it is our desire to understand the truth about our world and its existence. Something cannot come into existence out of nothing. Every effect requires a cause adequate to explain it. If time is tenseless, then the universe never really comes into being, and, therefore, the quest for a cause of its coming into being is misconceived.”. Some have been around for centuries, and new arguments are popping up every day. Therefore, a beginningless series of past events cannot exist. One such argument is the kalam cosmological argument. In a review of Krauss’s book, he states: “Relativistic-quantum-field-theoretical vacuum states—no less than giraffes or refrigerators or solar systems—are particular arrangements of elementary physical stuff. My response in the video includes more detail. The Kalam Cosmological Argument (KCA) is a different approach, proposed by Muslim philosophers in the Middle Ages. A second type of cosmological argument, contending for a first orbeginning cause of the universe, has a venerable history, especiallyin the Islamic mutakalliman tradition. However, most opponents of the cosmological argument aren’t contesting the evidence, but rather the character of the cause. The cosmological argument shows that in fact it is quite reasonable to believe that God does exist. To describe the nature of all matter, Sagan (an atheist) appealed to a first cause. What is the Kalam Cosmological Argument for the existence of God? Therefore, the universe has a cause of its existence. Then, it was used by Islam to argue for the existence of a theistic worldview and the Islamic religion and became unfavored by Christians. Philosopher Michael Martin has also referred to quantum vacuum fluctuation models to support the idea of a universe with uncaused beginnings. Thomas Aquinas, in his Summa theologiae, presented two versions of the cosmological argument: the first-cause argument and the argument from contingency. Cosmologist Alexander Vilenkin has stated that even “the absence of space, time and matter” cannot truly be defined as ‘nothing’ given that the laws of physics are still present, though it would be “as close to nothing as you can get”. Likewise, Craig has argued that the quantum vacuum, in containing quantifiable, measurable energy, cannot be described as ‘nothing’, therefore, that phenomena originating from the quantum vacuum cannot be described as ‘uncaused’. Philosopher Yuri Balashov has criticised Craig’s attempt to reconcile the A-theory with special relativity by relying on a ‘neo‐Lorentzian interpretation’ of Special Relativity. Craig formulates thekalām cosmological argument this way (in Craig and Smith1993: chap. Since the two premises of the kalam cosmological argument are true, the conclusion necessarily and inescapably follows – namely, that the Universe has a cause for its existence. According to Craig, the Kalam Cosmological Argument is constructed as follows: Whatever begins to exist, has a cause of its existence. Today this argument, largely forgotten since the time of Kant, is once again back at center stage. Therefore, only. In reply, Craig has maintained that causal laws are unrestricted metaphysical truths that are “not contingent upon the properties, causal powers, and dispositions of the natural kinds of substances which happen to exist”, remarking: “The history of twentieth century astrophysical cosmology belies Morriston’s claim that people have no strong intuitions about the need of a causal explanation of the origin of time and the universe.”. An actually infinite number of things cannot exist. When physicists Stephen Hawking and Roger Penrose collaborated on their research concerning the singularity, they concluded that general relativity and the observable universe supported the notion that a beginning of space and time occurred at the singularity, and thus the Big Bang Theory is now accepted almost universally among scientists. If you have any suggestions, questions or need help please feel free to contact us. That is why Craig describes the first premise of his argument as a first principle of metaphysics. To start the series of cascading dominoes, you’d have to start at the beginning to knock down the entire series. Imagine a series of infinite dominoes lined up. Given that the Kalam cosmological argument is a deductive argument, if both premises are true, the truth of the conclusion follows necessarily. If God made everything, who made God? Two central ones are the Kalam argument and the argument from contingent existence. A simple thought experiment demonstrates that an actual infinite number of things that are countable leads to absurdities. It is the opposite... […] Quran was written in the 7th century CE. They have two children, a 10-year-old daughter, and a 15-year-old son... on What is the Kalam Cosmological Argument? We made no assumptions about the material content of the universe. The latter would allow the universe to exist tenselessly as a four-dimensional space-time block, under which circumstances the universe would not “begin to exist”: “From start to finish, the kalam cosmological argument is predicated upon the A-Theory of time. the mental concept of a sphere). Therefore, one... […] Sunni Muslims perform the following: […]. I think the Kalam cosmological argument for the existence of God is one of the strongest defences for Theism that I have read. He presupposes throughout the Enquiry that events have causes, and in 1754 he wrote to John Stewart, ‘But allow me to tell you that I never asserted so absurd a Proposition as that anything might arise without a cause'”. The claim of the first premise is “whatever begins to exist had a cause.” It’s often demonstrated by listing the causal principle “something cannot come from nothing,” or ex nihilo, nihilo fit. Rather the energy locked up in a vacuum fluctuates spontaneously in such a way as to convert into evanescent particles that return almost immediately to the vacuum.”. Now, let the cause itself have a cause, and the cause of the cause have yet another cause, and so on ad infinitum. the Kalam Cosmological Argument Instigator / Con 20 Jarrett_Ludolph 1510 rating 4 debates 75.0% won Topic #2467 the Kalam Cosmological Argument Status Finished All stages have been completed. Scientific evidence that the universe began to exist a finite time ago at the Big Bang. Pages Businesses Nonprofit Organization Reasonable Faith Videos The Kalam Cosmological Argument [ii] The universe began to exist. Al-Ghazali was unconvinced by the first-cause arguments of Al-Kindi, arguing that only the infinite per se is impossible, arguing for the possibility of the infinite per accidens. So, if Einstein’s gravity requires some modification, our conclusion will still hold. Mackie affirms that there is no good reason to assume a priori that an uncaused beginning of all things is impossible. The Kalam cosmological argument is based on the concept of the prime-mover, introduced by Aristotle, and entered early Christian or Neoplatonist philosophy in Late Antiquity, being developed by John Philoponus. Everything that begins to exist has a cause of itsexistence. Popular astronomer Carl Sagan, when explaining how stars contain the necessary materials for life, once said, “If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.” 1. Help Fuel This Blog…Buy us a Cup Of Coffee if you would…. On the contrary, for all he shows, there may have been trillions of personal agents involved in the creation.”. 1): 1. But for information to exist in an immaterial way is what is classically defined as intellect (e.g. The universe began to exist. They are usually presented We did not even assume that gravity is described by Einstein’s equations. Abstract objects, the only other ontological category known to have the properties of being uncaused, spaceless, timeless and immaterial, do not sit in causal relationships, nor can they exercise volitional causal power. This is where the Kalam Cosmological Argument’s second premise and conclusion are supported. Similarly, in light of both philosophical argument and scientific evidence, its second premiss, though more controversial It is named after the kalam (medieval Islamic scholasticism) from which its key ideas originated. For those of you unaware of what exactly the Kalam Cosmological Argument is, here it is: Whatever begins to exist has a cause. The argument is that unless God exists, this question is unanswerable. The universe began to … you get a god out as a conclusion. The conclusion is that an actual infinite number of things cannot exist in reality. For this, he cites the example of a parent “creating” a child who eventually becomes greater than he or she. Because of its historic roots in medieval Islamic theology, I christened the argument “the kalam cosmological argument” (“ kalam ” is the Arabic word for medieval theology). It has recently been argued that a defense of the Kalam cosmological argument does not have to involve such a commitment to the A-theory. He states, “Being only comes from being. Therefore, an uncaused, personal Creator of the universe exists, who sans the universe is beginningless, changeless, immaterial, timeless, spaceless and infinitely powerful. 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