Difference between revisions of "First cause"
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A popular argument for [[atheism]] - along with being a popular [[scientific]] rebuttal of [[intelligent design]] - is the notion of the [[infinite regress]]. Every action or being requires a cause, so if God exists, God must have a cause; that cause also had a cause, and so on, literally ''ad infinitum''. | A popular argument for [[atheism]] - along with being a popular [[scientific]] rebuttal of [[intelligent design]] - is the notion of the [[infinite regress]]. Every action or being requires a cause, so if God exists, God must have a cause; that cause also had a cause, and so on, literally ''ad infinitum''. | ||
| − | Christian theology (and some other religions as well) states that God is the "uncaused first cause"; that He is "eternally self-existent", or that He is "beyond time and space". | + | Christian theology (and some other religions as well) states that God is the "uncaused first cause"; that He is "eternally self-existent", or that He is "beyond time and space". |
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| + | The first cause argument was presented by evangelical Christian philosopher T.Miethe in version resting on following premises: | ||
| + | *Some limited, changing being(s) exist. | ||
| + | *The present existence of every limited, changing being is caused by another. | ||
| + | *There cannot be an infinite regress of causes of being, because an infinite regress of finite beings would not cause the existence of anything. | ||
| + | *Therefore, there is a first Cause of the present existence of these beings. | ||
| + | *The first Cause must be infinite, necessary, eternal, and one. | ||
| + | *The first uncaused Cause is identical with the God of the Judeo-Christian tradition.<ref name="Flew">{{Cite book|title=There is a God, How the world's most notorious atheist changed his mind|author=Antony Flew|publisher=HarperOne|year=2008|isbn=978-0-06-133530-3|pages=70-71|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=zbL66ePcjpQC&dq=Antony+Flew+There+is+a+God&source=bl&ots=o0jEX-bGMl&sig=Rrf5Tv5MynLGVHFOhZy95LFfLGw&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Zfx_UI7sNLDY4QSLi4HAAQ&redir_esc=y|quote=}}</ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | == References == | ||
| + | <references/> | ||
== See also == | == See also == | ||
Revision as of 18:03, October 18, 2012
The first cause is the postulate, popular in philosophy and theology, that, since everything that happens must have a cause, everything is traceable back to a first cause, usually referred to as God.
A popular argument for atheism - along with being a popular scientific rebuttal of intelligent design - is the notion of the infinite regress. Every action or being requires a cause, so if God exists, God must have a cause; that cause also had a cause, and so on, literally ad infinitum.
Christian theology (and some other religions as well) states that God is the "uncaused first cause"; that He is "eternally self-existent", or that He is "beyond time and space".
The first cause argument was presented by evangelical Christian philosopher T.Miethe in version resting on following premises:
- Some limited, changing being(s) exist.
- The present existence of every limited, changing being is caused by another.
- There cannot be an infinite regress of causes of being, because an infinite regress of finite beings would not cause the existence of anything.
- Therefore, there is a first Cause of the present existence of these beings.
- The first Cause must be infinite, necessary, eternal, and one.
- The first uncaused Cause is identical with the God of the Judeo-Christian tradition.[1]
References
- ↑ Antony Flew (2008). There is a God, How the world's most notorious atheist changed his mind. HarperOne, 70-71. ISBN 978-0-06-133530-3.