GOD

Philosophy of Religion
The philosophical study of religion is primary focused upon three areas: The existence of God Rationality and of Religious Belief The Problem of Evil.

Existence of God
St. Anselm- Ontological Argument Gaunilo- Anti Ontological Argument St. Thomas Aquinas- 5 Proofs William Paley- Watch on Beach David Hume- Weak Analogy Not so much an argument for God but still an interesting Argument Pascals wager Finish with Rambam and Judaism

What are some issues/contradictions with our conceptions of God?

St. Anselm (1033- 1109)

St. Anselm argues for the necessary existence of a perfect being. His argument is a priori in nature. It is based upon the meaning of certain terms, and does not rely upon empirical a posteriori evidence.

More Perfect
His argument, sometimes called the ontological argument, because it is based upon the nature of being. Anselm says that if we imagine two objects, both identical, but one exist and the other does not, then the one that exists is more perfect.

Can Perfection be More Perfect?

If something is already perfect, how can it be more perfect? Anslem, argues that perfection can not be more perfect, so by its very nature it must exist in order to be deemed perfect.

1.
2. 3. 4. 5.

St. Anselm: Imagine the greatest possible being God is that being than which no greater can be conceived. It is greater to exist in reality than merely as an idea. If God does not exist, we can conceive of an even greater being, that is one that does exist. Therefore, God must indeed exist in reality. Therefore, He exists.

Gaunilo
A French monk argues that existence does not make something more perfect. He employs a reductio ad absurdum argument. (essentially he takes the argument to the extreme showing that it is ridiculous) The idea is that if Anselm is correct in his assertion regarding God's necessary existence, then the same would be true for a perfect island or any other thing really

The worlds smelliest sock

Gaunilo's argument runs along the same lines: 1. The worlds smelliest sock is that than which no greater/smellier can be conceived. 2. It is greater/smellier to exist in reality than merely as an idea. 3. If the smelliest sock does not exist, one can conceive of an even greater sock, that is one that does exist. 4. Therefore, the smelliest sock exists in reality.

Reductio ad aberdum
Believing in the perfect Island makes it real? This is absurd Just as it is an absurdity to conclude that God necessary exist simply because we can conceive of him.

Island, No. God, Yes!

Anselm agrees that it is absurd to conclude that the perfect island exist just because you think of it! But God is a different matter all together. His existence is guaranteed by his perfection.

St. Thomas Aquinas

Gave 5 proofs for Gods Existence We are going to look at 4 of them

5 ways
Motion Efficient Cause POSSIBILITY AND NECESSITY DEGREES OF PERFECTION DESIGN

St. Thomas Aquinas (1224- 1274)

Wants to give a posteriori arguments for the existence of God. He wants to go from things that we see in our everyday experience and draw conclusions from these regarding the nature of reality. In the Summa Theologica he gives the Five Ways that God's existence can be proven by empirical means.

St. Thomas Aquinas-Motion

1) Objects are in motion 2) If something is in motion, then it must be set into motion by something outside of itself 3) There can not be an infinite chain of movers, movees ________________________________________ 4) So, there is a first, unmoved mover that sets the world into motion. 5)Hence God exists and is the first unmoved mover.

St. Thomas Aquinas Efficient Cause

1) Some events cause other events. 2) If an event happens, then it must be caused by some prior event outside of itself. 3) There cannot be an infinite causal chain of cause an effect _______________________________________ 4) So, there must be a first, efficient cause, uncaused cause. 5) Hence, God is this first cause and exist.

St. Thomas Aquinas DEGREES OF PERFECTION

1) Objects have properties to greater or lesser degrees 2) If an object has a property to a lesser extent, then there must be an object that has it to the maximum extent. ___________________________________ 3) So there is a being that has all properties to the greatest possible degree 4) Hence this being is God and he exist

St. Thomas Aquinas DESIGN ARGUMENT

1) Among objects that have goals or purpose, some have minds and others do not. 2) An object that has a goal, but does not have a mind, must have been designed by a being that had a mind. 3) So there exists a being with a mind who designed all of the mindless objects that act for ends. _________________________________________ 4) Hence this Being is God and he does exist.

William Paley (1743- 1805)

Paley's Watch Imagine you are walking on a beach and you see a rock How did it come to be there? The question seems absurd. For all you know it has been there forever.

Paley, find a watch on the beach

Now imagine you find a watch on the beach. How did it get there? This question seems less absurd. Perhaps it was created randomly- by the wave action and the sand on the beach.

Paley- random or designer?

Or maybe it had a designer. Of those two hypothesis which seems to be the most likely? Paley thinks , just as you most probably do, that it makes more sense to talk about the watch having a designer.

Watch --- Natural creatures

Paley wants to draw an analogy between the watch and nature. Look at the complexity of nature and natural organisms. Does it not make sense to conclude that they have a designer? Paley thinks that the answer is obviously yes!

What do you think?

Random Designer

Problems with design argument

It does not prove there is an interactive designer. It does not prove there is only one designer. It does not clearly show who is the designer.

David Hume (1711- 1776)

Argues that the design argument is really a very weak analogy. It is one thing to talk about watches, it is another to talk about living organisms and still another to talk about the universe. He claims that the argument does not make it rational to conclude that the universe has a designer.

Which designer?
If there is a designer, who is the designer? A higher being? Which higher being? What are humans doing?

Blaise Pascal
Pascal thought belief in God served our rational self interest. He proposed a practical argument for Gods Existence.

Pascals Wager
God Exists God Does Not Exist

You Believe
You Dont Believe

Infinite Bliss (Heaven?)

+/- 5 (something finite)

Infinite Damnation +/- 5 (Hell?) (something finite)

Possible Outcomes
A) If you believe in God, and he exist, then you are going to heaven and are going to reap infinite rewards. B) If you don't believe in God, and he does exist, then you are going to hell and suffer infinite pain. C) If you believe in God, and he does not exist, you have wasted some small measure of energy. D) If you don't believe in God and he does not exist, then you have saved some small measure of energy.

What does Judaism Say?

Historically, proofs of the existence of God have not played as important a role in Jewish philosophy as they have in Christian. From a Jewish perspective, to some extent, a person who requires a proof to believe in God has missed the point of the religion.
Torah Belief system founded on the existence of God

Rambams solution
Rambam says a number of important things about God 1. Rambam offers a number of first cause arguments 2. Rambam speaks of Gods absolute oneness, he says that to say that He is all-powerful, all-knowing and allgood, is to split God into a number of separate qualities which is to minimize God
a. In order to resolve this difficvulty Rambam suggests that we can only use negative language to describe god. We can say that God is not bad, or God is not human etc, etc