-Is there any way to demonstrate that beliefs of god are reasonable or unreasonable?
-The question for this whole reading…..
-Arguments for the existence of god are often divided into two groups:
-Posteriori (based on experience)
-Priori (Independently of experience)
-Ontological Argument
-Only mode of argument that is completely independent of experience
-If the argument that God exists is correct, than anyone who has an idea of God has
conclusive rational grounds for believing that God exists
-Cosmological Argument
-A Posteriori argument
-Explained by:
-St. Thomas Aquinas (The “Five Ways”): Here are the first 3:
-Every being is either a dependent being or a self-existing being
-Not every being can be a dependent being
-Therefore, there exists a self-existent being
-Deductive form of arguments: If their premises are true, then their conclusions must
necessarily be true
-Both the Ontological Argument and the Cosmological Argument are deductive
-Inductive argument: When premises establish a probability that the conclusion is true
-The teleological argument is one (See below)
-Teleological Argument: “The Argument From Design”
-Layman’s terms:
1. Boats, houses, watches, and the whole world have parts that make up a whole thing
2. Boats, houses and watches also have been produced by design
3. Therefore, it is probable that the universe also has this property - being produced by
design
-Counter to the Teleological Argument: The Philosopher Philo
-He says that we only know one tiny part of the universe and thus cannot extrapolate this
principle of the teleological argument to the whole universe
-Philo also gives an explanation for the order of the world: It’s a similar explanation to Darwin:
things just happen by chance