I think i agree with your position, but i would like to see how youd argue it. The kalam cosmological argument is an argument that can be simply formulated. Yet, under what conditions does something begin to exist. Today this argument, largely forgotten since the time of kant, is once again back at center stage. He holds faculty positions at talbot school of theology biola university, and houston baptist university craig had developed and defended of the kalam cosmological argument for the existence of god.
It uses a general pattern of argumentation logos that makes an inference from particular alleged facts about the universe cosmos to the existence of a unique being, generally identified with or referred to as god. Why intelligent people believe in the christian faith. The kalam cosmological argument is simply a desperate attempt by theologians to place the god word in what we dont know. It introduces you to the current state of the argument in each subject it covers, but also walks you through the history of the debate and the key players. It is called the kalam cosmological argument and was developed by arabic philosophers of the late middle ages kalam means arabic philosophy. This paper will examine the kalam cosmological argument kca, demonstrating that it offers strong evidence for the existence of god, thereby providing a rational foundation for the christian faith. Muslim theologians, when islam swept over egypt in north africa, absorbed the christian thought that had been in those areas, like in alexandria, which was. Section 4 offers an entirely new approach to the cosmological argument the approach of theistic modal realism. Thomas aquinas vertical cosmological arguments for the existence of god. Having an argument for the existence of god by guest 19604. The original kalam cosmological argument was developed by islamic scholars in medieval times based on the aristotelian prime mover idea.
In general, the cosmological family of arguments attempt to show that some initial condition necessarily preexists the universe, and declare this initial condition or its cause to be god. Cosmological argument stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. Muslim theologians, when islam swept over egypt in north africa, absorbed the christian thought that had been in those areas, like in alexandria, which was the center of christian learning. Jan 12, 2019 many would be surprised to know that there are good reasons to believe that god exists. William lane craig is an american analytic philosopher and christian theologian. Its nothing more than an argument from ignorance, a god of the gaps. What does it mean to say that x begins to exist at t.
See more black hebrew israelites, christian apologetics, jehovahs witnesses, atheism, christian faith, christianity, philosophy, catholic, religion. William lane craigs kalam cosmological argument henceforth kca has proved to be a vastly influential natural theological argument for the existence of god. Nothing in this sole chapter on the existence of god offers us any reason to. The kalam cosmological argument is a modern formulation of the cosmological argument for.
Many would be surprised to know that there are good reasons to believe that god exists. The study guide is available free on the reasonable faith website for those who want to save a few bucks. Although different variations of the argument have been used by aristotle, aquinas, leibniz, and ghazali, this paper will focus mainly on the cosmological argument formulated from alghazali. Reasonable faithdoctrine of god eternal security osas. Reasonable faith perth aims to provide a defense of christianity. Ill present another standalone yet supplementary argument. Consult the cited works of craig for a more thorough statement and defense of the argument. William lane craig and the kalam cosmological argument. On the kalam cosmological argument one of the most popular arguments for the existence of god is known as the kalam cosmological argument.
In this article i take issue with one of these arguments, what i call the hilberts hotel argument namely, that the metaphysical absurdity of an actually infinite number of things existing precludes the possibility of a beginningless past. The cosmological argument is, a family of arguments that seek to demonstrate the existence of a sufficient reason or first cause of. One approach to answering this question is the cosmological argument. Craig is known for his extensive work on a version of the cosmological argument called the kalam cosmological argument. Transcript is the kalam cosmological argument circular kevin harris. Simply put if con can present evidence or argument that successfully dismantles the kalam, con wins. The list of recommended reading and sources used is massive. Pdf arguing about the kalam cosmological argument graham. Or is the material universe all that is, or ever was, or ever will be. A short, animated video to help you understand the kalam cosmological argument for gods existence. If the universe has an explanation of its existence, that explanation is god.
I am in favor of the argument but would love to discuss it as well. The cosmological argument presented here stresses in th e simplest terms that the universe began and has a cause for its existence. This is about the kalam cosmological argument, i would like if everyone would remain civil. But had we concluded that the kalam cosmological argument is an unqualified successand even conceded the supplementary argument that the cause of the universe must be a person with libertarian free willthis would not support the larger project of reasonable faith. May 23, 2015 the original kalam cosmological argument was developed by islamic scholars in medieval times based on the aristotelian prime mover idea. It is simple to state, and inquiry into whether it is sound has opened up new avenues of research in the philosophy of religion and science. The cosmological argument is less a particular argument than an argument type. You may know that a circular argument is an argument that assumes what it is trying to prove. Quentin smith, kalam cosmological arguments for atheism, in the cambridge companion to atheism, ed. So is the model correct, or, more importantly, is it.
Why christianity reasonable faith perth subiaco kalam. William lane craigs defence of the kalam cosmological argument rests heavily on two philosophical arguments against a pasteternal universe. Reasonable faith so it seems to me that as long as you dont. Sections present a critical discussion of traditional thomistic, kalam, and leibnizian cosmological arguments, noting various advantages and disadvantages of these approaches. The kalam cosmological argument is a product of the tradition of islamic science known as ilm al kalam, which was established in order to defend the islamic faith against academic criticism. But the original doctoral thesis was an examination of all of the various versions of the cosmological argument. Methuselahs diary and the finitude of the past pdf. Is the kalam cosmological argument a circular argument. The kalam cosmological argument based on the beginning of the universe. The issue here is that with your current argument, an atheist can say that the argument is ad hoc, simply creating a unmoved mover for the argument and not applying it anywhere else.
Mackie, in refuting the kalam cosmological argument, turns his main guns on this. A bug in william lane craigs kalam cosmological argument. Oct 16, 2008 the book reasonable faith is a rather detailed philosophical apologetic book and therefore the study guide is a useful tool to solidify the concepts in the book. Buy reasonable faith first by william lane craig isbn. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Rational answers, reasonable hope the god of the bible provides both a. Welcome to the podcast of reasonable faith with dr.
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. I aim to defend of version of the kalam cosmological argument that. It was popularized by william lane craig in his book, the kalam cosmological argument 1979. The kalam cosmological argument deploys the following causal principle. Philosophy during william lane craigs recent reasonable faith tour to the uk where he debated philosophers such as stephen law and peter millican, craig received a vast amount of publicity for having dawkins refuse to debate him.
Oct 12, 2018 the cosmological argument presented here stresses in th e simplest terms that the universe began and has a cause for its existence. What follows is a short presentation of the kalam cosmological argument for the existence of god. The scientific kalam cosmological argument reasonable faith. The sources used in this presentation are documented according to current modern language association standards. The cosmological argument s the teleological argument the argument from reason the moral argument the argument from evil. Christian truth and apologetics craig, william lane on. The standard big bang model thus predicts an absolute beginning of the universe. The word kalam is an arabic word that denotes medieval islamic theology. He is known for his work in the philosophy of religion, philosophy of time, and the defense of christian theism. The book reasonable faith is a rather detailed philosophical apologetic book and therefore the study guide is a useful tool to solidify the concepts in the book.
Exposing the fallacies of william lane craigs kalam. He also focused in his published work on a historical argument for the. I published the material on the kalam version separately as a book, and this became more widely known. Swinburne on the kalam cosmological argument reasonable. From his robust defence of the kalam cosmological argument to the solid case for jesus in light of modern historiographical technique. On the kalam cosmological argument boxing pythagoras. Anguspure, i think we are closing in on the underlying issue. In my studied judgment, the one with the most plausible and perspicuously true premises is the kalam argument. The kalam cosmological argument is a modern formulation of the cosmological argument for the existence of god. Interpreting gods action in the world, edited by j. This is a well investigated and highly thought out book that is packed to the brim with quotes and research from the most senior of academics today. William lane craig has offered and defended various accounts that seek to establish the necessary and sufficient conditions for when something begins to exist. While the kalam has a venerable history in medieval islamic philosophy, craig updated the argument to interact with contemporary scientific and philosophical developments. Rational answers, reasonable hope this presentation is indebted to kenneth richard samples, without a doubt grand rapids.
God, time and the kalam cosmological argument springer. I the other philosophical argument o ered in defense of premise 2 is that there cannot be an actual in nite in the world, merely a potential in nite. Dec 21, 2016 of course scientific results are always provisional. Craig, in the existence of god, by richard swinburne, he critiques your kalam cosmological argument, because he disagrees with your position on the possibility of an infinite number of things in time. Arguing about the kalam cosmological argument william lane craigs. Reasonable faith is essential reading for most every christian and is excellent for the honest agnostic. This argument, initially formulated by the 11th century philosopher al ghazali and popularized by contemporary philosopher dr. Leibnizs cosmological argument anything that exists has an explanation of its existence, either in the necessity of its own nature or in an external cause a version of psr. Its nothing more than an argument from ignorance, a. If this model is correct, then we have amazing scientific confirmation of the second premise of the kalam cosmological argument. The kalam cosmological argument is a modern formulation of the cosmological argument for the existence of god rooted in the ilm alkalam heritage in medieval islamic scholasticism. Nevertheless its pretty clear which way the evidence points.
The kalam argument popular writings reasonable faith. Ever since the publication of the kalam cosmological argument, craig 1979 has notably revived interest in. Today the proponent of the kalam cosmological argument stands comfortably within the scientific mainstream in holding that the universe began to exist. Today the proponent of the kalam cosmological argument stands comfortably within the scientific mainstream in. How to debunk the kalam cosmological argument debating religion. As well, he receives questions on an infinite regress and the. This is a good explanation of the argument, however, you need to address the claim of god being an unmoved prime mover. I am not trying to change anyones mind, so if youre an agnostic, atheist, or a theist this is a good paper to. Therefore, the universe has a cause of its beginning. Jul 21, 2015 the kalam cosmological argument is simply a desperate attempt by theologians to place the god word in what we dont know. The cosmological argument or first cause argument is a philosophical argument for the existence of god which explains that everything has a cause, that there must have been a first cause, and that this first cause was itself uncaused. We present a formal analysis of the cosmological argument in its two main forms. Craig answers a question on why he likes the kalaam argument best. But for the question to be closed is not necessary for the kca to be successful as a reasonable and plausible and even possible argument for the cause of the universe.
This variation became known as the kalam cosmological argument. The kalam cosmological argument is a product of the tradition of islamic science known as ilm alkalam, which was established in order to defend the islamic faith against academic criticism. William lane craig, the kalam cosmological argument, the macmillan press ltd, 1979, p. What often makes things confusing is that as soon as you zero in on, say, a scientific problem with the kalam argument, its proponents will try to cover. So is the model correct, or, more importantly, is it correct in predicting a beginning of the universe. Sound is defined as a logically valid argument that withstands all scrutiny. On the kalam cosmological argument common sense atheism. It is an issue ultimately of a selfrefuting position.
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