Monday, May 18, 2020

Aquinas’ has five proofs for Gods existence. His first...

Aquinas’ has five proofs for Gods existence. His first proof is an argument from motion. Nothing can move itself unless it was placed into motion. His second proof is an argument from efficient causes. We experience a series of efficient causes of things. I didn’t exist to my prior existence. Nothing before exists. Nothing can be caused by itself. The third proof is the argument from possibility and necessity. We find natural things that are possible to be and not to be. Things come in and out of being. Every being is a dependent being. There is a time or each dependent being that is does not exist. Therefore it is impossible for a being to always exist. Therefore there could be a time where no being or thing existed. Therefore at the time†¦show more content†¦They must have a cause that makes them move or they must have already been put into motion. Things cannot exist prior to their existence. This statement is uncomplicated and clearly understood. The third proof is easily agreeable. All things come in to and out of existence. A human being is born and eventually passes away with old age. A tree sprouts and eventually deteriorates with old age as well. We all are dependent on someone or something. The fourth proof is straightforward. We must have some sort of measure and God is the ultimate standard. The fifth proof is infallible. We are born into this world without any knowledge. We must learn and discover. So, there must be an intelligent being that existed before us to create us to strive to find knowledge. This supreme intelligent being is God. I have nothing to negatively express about Aquinas’ proofs. All five of Aquinas’ proofs work as sufficient proof. They are all understandable, straightforward, uncomplicated, proofs that make sense. God is the supreme being; He is the highest in knowledge, motion, efficient causes, necessity and possibility, gradation being, and design. I believe Anselm’s argument works as proof for God’s existence. Anselm’s argument says that by definition, God is a greater being than anything that could be imagined. Existence in reality is greater than existence in imagination. Therefore, God must exist in reality because if He didn’t, then He wouldn’t be a beingShow MoreRelatedThe Five Ways Of The Existence Of God1557 Words   |  7 Pagesshort paper will analyze â€Å"The Five Ways†, from Summa Theologica, by Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274). We cannot prove that God exists, merely by considering the word God, for that strategy work, we would have to presume to know God s essence. According to Aquinas, the existence of God can be proved. This paper will discuss what each of the five ways are that Thomas Aquinas introduced to show the existence of God. The Argument from Change: To begin with, one way to prove that God exists is to contemplate theRead More Thomas Aquinas Work to Prove the Existence of God Essays1013 Words   |  5 PagesChristian, Thomas Aquinas naturally believed in God, but he wanted to prove Gods existence to those who could not accept things on faith alone. As a result he made five proofs, which he claims, prove the existence of God. With each proof there is always a beginning, a starting point, Aquinas claims it must be God that is the beginning of each. The first proof does not do complete justice to Aquinas’s claim that God exist, while the fifth proof could be used alone to prove Gods existence. One ofRead MoreThe Existence Of God s Existence1339 Words   |  6 Pageslives. From simple questions to complex questions, many strive to find proofs or evidence to appease our minds. Questions like â€Å"What is our purpose?† or â€Å"Why or how is the world created?† are some of the general questions that typically lead to the idea of God. The existence of God is one of the most sought out topic that is frequently inquired. Is there really a God or is God merely a concept humans created to explain the unexplainable? And if God does exist, what makes him different from the restRead MoreExplain the Strengths and Weaknesses of Aquinas Cosmological Argument1203 Words   |  5 Pagesthe strengths and weaknesses of Aquinas’ cosmological arguments. The cosmological argument is an a posteriori argument based on the question of the relation of the universe’s existence and God’s existence. This argument focuses on the theory that if the universe exists then something must have caused it to existence, ie. A God or Creator. Supporters of this argument claim that to fully comprehend the existence of the universe, one must rely on a theory of a God however critics would say that dueRead MoreAristotle s Five Ways Of The Existence Of God1354 Words   |  6 Pages The existence of God, or a divine being, has been a metaphysical subject that has been contemplated since thousands of years by ancient philosophers such as Thales, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and many more. Medieval philosopher St. Thomas Aquinas, who is most famously known for combining principles of faith and reason into a philosophy known as Thomism. The â€Å"five ways† of proofing the existence of God, which is Article three, of Question 2, of part I, of his â€Å"Summa Theologià ¦Ã¢â‚¬ , gives five differentRead MoreWeak Arguments in Cosmological Argument by Thomas Aquinas692 Words   |  3 Pagesthat God exists? Thomas Aquinas attempted to prove the existence of God in a rational way through his Cosmological argument. Aquinas argued that every event as we observe it has a cause and a casual chain cannot be infinite. Therefore, a first cause is necessary and this cause is God. Aquinas’ argument is unsuccessful because it assumes that God is a necessary bei ng, fails to prove that the world is not an infinite chain of events, and undermines the basis of his argument by saying that God is infiniteRead More Existence of God Essay1571 Words   |  7 PagesTheologica,† by Saint Thomas Aquinas, Aquinas combines the doctrines of Christianity with Aristotelian philosophy, through the assertion that as a result of observation, utilization of the senses, and an empirical mindset, one can substantiate the existence of God. Aquinas holds the conception that in the quest for God’s existence, philosophy and theology are interwoven together and both play complementary roles. He infuses numerous theological doctrines, mainly from Saint Augustine, alongside AristotelianRead MoreThe Achievements of Saint Thomas Aquainas Essay630 Words   |  3 PagesSaint Thomas Aquinas (1225-1272) is fundamentally an Aristotelian, and for some, one of the greatest philosophers, and one of the best theologians. His theological writings became regulative of the Catholic Church and his commentaries on Aristotle, represents a great cultural resource, which are now receiving a greater recognition. As a very catholic man, he tried to prove the existence of God. But How? Thomas Aquinas recognized that there were people who doubted the existence of God. Because toRead MoreThe s Ontological Proof For The Existence Of God Essay1134 Words   |  5 Pages In his Proslogion, written in 1077-1078, St. Anselm of Canterbury, introduced the first formulation of his ontological proof for the existence of God. In an effort to gain a deeper knowledge and acquaintance with his creator, Anselm set out to logically deduce God’s existence from the very definition of God. In the Proslogion he writes, â€Å"God is that which a greater cannot be thought. Whoever understands this properly, understands that this being exists in such a way that he cannot, even in thoughtRead MoreBombardier Aerospace: An Overview1590 Words   |  6 PagesWhich argument for the existence of God is strongest? Why? An age-old debate that has existed in religious studies concerns which argument for the existence of God is the strongest. The existence of God is pervasive throughout the world, although the means with which people attempt to prove His existence varying in significant (and sometimes contrasting) ways. Although there have been myriad methods for proving Gods existence, a central dispute concerns whether or not to use a rational approach

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.