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Christianity: Philosophy of Religion

The cosmological argument and Aquinas's First Three Ways

  • 3 things to know
  • Paper 3

Overview

The arguments from motion, cause and contingency, why Aquinas rejects an infinite chain, what the argument shows of God, its link with the Big Bang, and the question of what caused God.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Evaluation

What is the cosmological argument?

Key term

What is Aquinas's First Way?

Key term

What is Aquinas's Second Way?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    What is the cosmological argument?

    Model answer

    The cosmological argument says everything that exists has a cause. The universe must therefore have a first cause, God.

  2. 2

    What is Aquinas's First Way?

    Model answer

    The First Way is the argument from motion. Everything that changes is changed by something else, so there must be an unmoved mover.

  3. 3

    What is Aquinas's Second Way?

    Model answer

    The Second Way is the argument from causation. Every effect has a cause, and there must be an uncaused first cause.

  4. 4

    What is Aquinas's Third Way?

    Model answer

    The Third Way is the argument from contingency. Things that might not have existed depend on a necessary being that must exist.

  5. 5

    What does contingent mean?

    Model answer

    Contingent means depending on something else to exist. A contingent thing could have not existed.

  6. 6

    Why does Aquinas reject an infinite chain of causes?

    Model answer

    An infinite chain would have no first cause to start it. Without a first cause, nothing would exist now.

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