Does God exist? What is the purpose of my life? And why are we here? These are just a few of the philosophical questions that have yet to be answered. Throughout history in efforts to answers these questions religions have been formed in order to justify the existence of a God and to give a meaning to life. By examining the works of various philosophers I aim to prove the existence of a God. Although there were many who argued against the existence of God, there are many who argued for the existence of God. Philosophers such as Aquinas, Anselm, and Paley are some of those philosophers. Using their arguments I aim to prove the existence of an Almighty God.
The philosopher I will be examining who made arguments for the existence of God is St. Thomas Aquinas. Aquinas’s argument branches out into five sections. In his first argument he explains that whatever is in motion is put into motion by another object that is also in motion. This other object was put into motion by another object and the cycle continues so on. This cycle though cannot go back infinitely, since there would be no first mover and so no sequence to start. So we have to conclude that there is a first unmoved mover and that we understand to be God. Scientists believe that the universe was created in what they call the “Big Bang.”
In this theory the universe started off as a huge mass of rock and gases that exploded billions of years ago and caused the universe we live in now to form. If this theory is correct then it proves that the universe is not infinite and has only existed for a short period of time with a determined beginning. In the Quran (21:30) though it states, “Do not the unbelievers see that the heavens and the Earth were joined together (as one unit of creation) before we clove them asunder?” Scientific truth regarding this was discovered roughly 1400 years ago. This was way before modern science had even begun to come up with theories for the discovery of the universe. This can only mean that Aquinas’s theory along with the sayings of the Quran are correct about the existence of a God. People are still skeptical of Aquinas’s argument and ask, “why God is an exception to the chain of cause of effect?” This
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is a good question and can be answered by saying that since God created the universe he cannot be apart of it, because if he were then that would mean that someone else would have to create him. Which would no longer make God, God but similar to humans: a creation and not a being greater then that which can be conceived. In his second argument he focuses on the “principle of causation.” In this argument he says, “everything has an efficient cause and that nothing is or can be the cause of it self. It is impossible, though; that the series of causes should extend back to infinity because every cause is dependent on a prior cause and the ultimate cause is thus dependent on a previous cause. So if there is no first cause, there will be no intermediate causes and no final cause.”
Since no object came into being from nothing, it must be caused, and so must the world as a whole. And the cause that caused it all to happen must be God. In his third argument he continues with the premise of metaphysics and rational speculation about being itself. He defines beings as those that can either exist or not exist, and implies that necessary beings are those that do and must exist. And since all objects in the world are possible beings they too would have to either exist or not exist, then in principle they must have at any one point not existed. He continues to say that if something did not exist at some time then how can we explain the world now? Since all the exists needs a cause, it is imperative that there has to be an absolute necessary being that owes its existence to no other being.
Thus justifying that God is that uncaused cause that has always existed. The fourth argument discusses the characteristics of humans, such as being good, noble or true, and so on. When judging someone to such characteristics Aquinas argues that there has to a maximum as it something that is the noblest. Derived from a teaching of Aristotle, “things that are greatest in truth are also greatest in being” Aquinas believes that something has to be a cause of this goodness. That “maximum cause” must be God. In his fifth and final argument Aquinas looks at the universe and its functionality. He states that the way the earth functions cannot be a product of chance it must be a product of design. And who else than an Almighty God would have the ability to be the architect of such a design. The answer is no one. After looking at all five of Aquinas’s arguments it is clear that the existence of a God can be argued.
Next we will be looking at the ontologically arguments of St. Anselm of Canterbury. Anselm argument states, “Even the fool is convinced that something exists in the understanding. Assuredly that than which nothing greater can be conceived cannot exist in the mind alone. Then it can be conceived to exist in reality, which is even greater. Therefore, if this maximally great being existed only in the mind, it would be less than maximally great.” This argument states that God exists because he is that which nothing greater can be conceived, and since God can be conceived, he must therefore exist. There are two possibilities to God’s existence, either God only exists in the mind or he exists in both the mind and in reality.
A being, which exists in both our minds and in reality, is significantly greater than that which exists only in out minds. But since we can think of God in our minds he must exists in reality. Although we cannot see God, because we can conceive the idea of him in our head he must exist in reality as well. To exist is greater than to not exist, and therefore the greatest conceivable being must exist. If God did not exist, then God would not be the greatest conceivable being, and that would contradict the very definition of God.
To summarize, the first premise of his argument is that God is that than which no greater can be conceived and this is his conception of God. He then says that if God is that than which no greater can be conceived then there is noting greater then God that can be imagined. This being a logical truth, the way we praise God is as the greatest being, there is not greater conceivable thing. Therefore there is nothing greater then God that can be imagined. He then argues that is God does not exist then there must be something greater than God that can be imagined. If God were non-existent, then we could imagine a God greater than he, which would be an existent God. Therefore God exists.
Now we will look at the teleological arguments of William Paley. To convey his arguments Paley uses this analogy, “If I stumbled on a stone and asked how it come to be there, to show the answer would be difficult and so say it has been there forever is absurd. Yet, this is not true if the stone were so be a watch.” What he means to say is the rock is just a rock, if someone were to see a rock they would not question the idea that it has always just been there. But a watch is more complex in its functionality, to say it has always been there is plausible. By looking at the complexity of a watch one must assume there is a watchmaker, because it had to be designed.
Likewise when looking at the complexity of the universe it is implied that there is a universe maker. When looking at the many great things humans have done and created, it is evident that we too must have been created by something far greater then the human mind. If we can create medicine, and build the great Pyramid’s, then he who created us is surely greater then that. Even animals have been designed in way to be able to protect themselves, such as the porcupines. We have also two kidneys, and can function with just one if anything were to happen to the other.
Without an all-powerful creator how would this be possible? Some skepticism that Paley received were questions like, “we never knew the artist capable of making a watch or we do not know how the work was accomplished.” Paley responded back by saying, “Just because we do not know whom the artist might be, it doesn’t mean we cannot know that there is one.” Another was in reference to the imperfect design, which Paley responded with saying that “it is not necessary to show that something is perfect in order to show that a design is present.”
All religious literature states that we must accept that God exists by faith, which is similar to the philosophy of Immanuel Kant. Who believes that the existence of God cannot be proved or disproved, because it is from the world of the noumena. This however doesn’t mean there is no evidence for the existence of God, and many people have attempted to prove/disprove his existence.
Though many philosophers have rejected the theory of the existence of God, there are many who haven’t. Philosophers such as Aquinas, Anselm and Paley have all made strong arguments for the existence of God. They all agree that the complexity of the universe is far to great to have caused itself, thus there must be a creator who designed it, that creator being God.
Works Cited
- Holt, Tim. “Philosophy of Religion.” Philosophy of Religion Philosophy of Religion Comments. 1 Jan. 2010. Web. 6 Apr. 2015. <http://www.philosophyofreligion.info/>.
- “Does God Exist? Is There Evidence for the Existence of God?” GotQuestions.org. 1 Jan. 2015. Web. 5 Apr. 2015. <http://www.gotquestions.org/Does-God-exist.html>.
- “William Paley, “The Teleological Argument”” William Paley, “The Teleological Argument” Web. 9 Apr. 2015. <http://philosophy.lander.edu/intro/paley.shtml>.
- Miller, David. “Philosophy of Religion- Notes Part 2 Philosophers of the West.” Ryerson University, Toronto. 2015. Lecture
- Miller, David. “Philosophy of Religion- Reading Part 2 Philosophers of the West.” Ryerson University, Toronto. 2015. Lecture
