A. Borde, A. Guth and A. Vilenkin (2003). I would say no less special than a true beginning of the universe. "The Caused Beginning of the Universe: a Response to Quentin Smith." David Hume to John Stewart, February 1754, in The Letters of David Hume, 2 vols., ed. THE KALAM COSMOLOGICAL ARGUMENT (Written not by Curtis Hrischuk but by some other fellow) What follows is a short presentation of the Kalam Cosmological Argument for the existence of God. paper is concerned with the Kalam Cosmological Argument, which aims to demonstrate that the universe was created ex nihilo by a personal creator. Francis J. Kovach, 'The Question of the Eternity of the World in St. Bonaventure and St. Thomas – A Critical Analysis', Southwestern Journal of Philosophy 5 (1974), pp. A. Çubukçu and H. Atay (Ankara: University of Ankara Press, 1962), pp. Steady-state eternal inflation; Phys. "[46], On the impossibility of actual infinities, Craig asserts:[47]. A first state of the material world cannot have a material explanation and must originate, Even if positing a plurality of causes prior to the origin of the universe, the causal chain must terminate in a cause which is absolutely first and, This page was last edited on 14 January 2021, at 10:54. The second of these premises requires some more explanation. Honestly, I do find the Kalam argument (KCA) powerful, but of course I first encountered it from the perspective of a believer. Quantum mechanics does not in fact posit something coming from nothing, but rather things coming from the quantum vacuum–which is not “nothing.” Through the decay of uranium, lead is causedto come into existence, the car factory causes the car to come into existence, and your parents caused you to come into existence. Moreover, that Craig takes his argument too far beyond what his premises allow in deducing that the creating agent is greater than the universe. Crossref Alex Malpass, Wes Morriston, Endless and Infinite, The Philosophical Quarterly, 10.1093/pq/pqaa005, (2020). Anscombe, who point out the phenomenological and logical problems in inferring factual possibility from conceivability. Rev. Craig. A classic which has recently been re-polished and re-popularized, it has withstood the test of time in its field. [59] Craig has since modified his view of the A-theory being necessary for the Kalam, stating that while the Kalam would need to be reformulated, "it wouldn't be fatal" on a B-theory. The argument is grounded upon the supposed impossibility of an actual infinity of past events. ", "Initial Arguments: A Defense of the Cosmological Argument for the Existence of God", "Cosmological Argument: The Causal Principle and Quantum Physics", "Methuselah's Diary and the Finitude of the Past", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kalam_cosmological_argument&oldid=1000260756, Wikipedia articles that may have off-topic sections from September 2014, All articles that may have off-topic sections, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, If the universe has a cause, then an uncaused, personal Creator of the universe exists who, Therefore, an uncaused, personal Creator of the universe exists, who. The Kalam cosmological argument is based on the concept of the prime-mover, introduced by Aristotle, and entered early Christian or Neoplatonist philosophy in Late Antiquity, being developed by John Philoponus. Craig William Lane, Reasonable Faith Christian Truth and Apologetics Third Edition 118-120, Craig William Lane, Reasonable Faith, Christian Truth and Apologetics, Third Edition, pp.120-124, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, A Universe from Nothing: Why There is Something Rather Than Nothing, ‘neo‐Lorentzian interpretation’ of Special Relativity, Professor Mackie and the Kalam Cosmological Argument, Must the Beginning of the Universe Have a Personal Cause? [44] In private correspondence with Stenger, Vilenkin remarked how the Aguirre-Gratton model attempts to evade a beginning by reversing the "arrow of time" at t = 0, but that: "This makes the moment t = 0 rather special. D 65, 083507. Vilenkin, A. What is the Kalam Cosmological Argument? What is the principle of sufficient reason? Let’s begin by analyzing the first premise: “Whatever begins to exist has a cause.” We see examples of this every day in our lives. 5 It is important to note, however, that the KCA is not intrinsically predicated on any one religion, nor is it restricted to monotheism. 15–16. It’s details the many criticisms of the argument, all in one place: What is the kalam cosmological argument for the existence of God? British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 44 (1993): 623-639. Given that the Kalam cosmological argument is a deductive argument, if both premises are true, the truth of the conclusion follows necessarily. On the topic of virtual particles, he writes: Cosmologist Alexander Vilenkin has stated that even "the absence of space, time and matter" cannot truly be defined as 'nothing' given that the laws of physics are still present, though it would be "as close to nothing as you can get".[39]. Furthermore, Since the cause of the universe must exist outside time, space, and all material, the cause must be spaceless, timeless, and non-material; i.e. A Critical Examination of the Kalam Cosmological Argument. It is named after the kalam (medieval Islamic scholasticism) from which its key ideas originated. Moreland, James Porter, and William Lane. He states: In reply, Craig has maintained that causal laws are unrestricted metaphysical truths that are "not contingent upon the properties, causal powers, and dispositions of the natural kinds of substances which happen to exist", remarking: A common objection to premise one appeals to the phenomenon of quantum indeterminacy, where, at the subatomic level, the causal principle appears to break down. : A Rejoinder, The Existence of God and the Beginning of the Universe, Why Physicists Can't Avoid A Creation Event, "Presentism, Ontology and Temporal Experience", "Dr. Craig Answers Questions on the Kalam, Heaven, Free Will, B-Theory, and MORE! According to Craig, the kalam cosmological argument establishes that A) the God of Christianity exist B) the universe has a cause C) the Big Bang model is false D) the universe is uncaused B) the universe has a … The most commonly used form is “horizontal,” also known as the kalam cosmological argument. [14] It reached medieval Christian philosophy in the 13th century and was discussed by Bonaventure, as well as Thomas Aquinas in his Summa Theologica (I, q.2, a.3) and Summa Contra Gentiles (I, 13). The Kalam cosmological argument is a modern formulation of the cosmological argument for the existence of God. Moreover, that the Causal Principle cannot be extrapolated to the universe from inductive experience. Physical Review Letters 90 (15): 151301. [60], Premise one: "Whatever begins to exist has a cause. 58, Iqbal, Muhammad The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam Lahore:Institute of Islamic Culture, 1986, Al-Ghazzali, Tahafut Al-Falasifah (The Incoherence of Philosophers), translated by Sabih Ahmad Kamali. In a review of Krauss's book, he states: Likewise, Craig has argued that the quantum vacuum, in containing quantifiable, measurable energy, cannot be described as 'nothing', therefore, that phenomena originating from the quantum vacuum cannot be described as 'uncaused'. [1], Since Craig's original publication, the Kalam cosmological argument has elicited public debate between Craig and Graham Oppy, Adolf Grünbaum, J. L. Mackie and Quentin Smith, and has been used in Christian apologetics. [55] Philosopher Yuri Balashov has criticised Craig's attempt to reconcile the A-theory with special relativity by relying on a ‘neo‐Lorentzian interpretation’ of Special Relativity. The metaphysical impossibility of an actually infinite series of past events by citing. Answer: e Question 9 3 out of 3 points According to David Hume, God is best defined as "the greatest conceivable being." Is there an alternative to this argument? The Kalam Cosmological Argument leads us to the conclusion that the universe does, indeed, have a cause. One of the earliest formulations of the cosmological argument in Islamic tradition comes from Al-Ghazali, who writes: Between the 9th to 12th centuries, the cosmological argument developed as a concept within Islamic theology. The latter would allow the universe to exist tenselessly as a four-dimensional space-time block, under which circumstances the universe would not "begin to exist":[54] The form of the Kalam he presents rests on this theory: Craig has defended the A-theory against objections from J. M. E. McTaggart and hybrid A–B theorists. Arguing About The Kalam Cosmological Argument. Rests on the idea that universe has a beginning in time. It was refined in the 11th century by Al-Ghazali (The Incoherence of the Philosophers), and in the 12th by Ibn Rushd (Averroes). 3. It was popularized in the western world by William Lane Craig in his book, The Kalām Cosmological Argument (1979). Causes and Beginnings in the Kalam Argument. Anscombe, '"Whatever has a beginning of existence must have a cause": Hume's argument exposed', Analysis XXXIV (1974), 150. More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free! It was popularized in the western world by William Lane Craig in his book, The Kalām Cosmological Argument (1979). Must the Beginning of the Universe Have a Personal Cause? The argument's key underpinning idea is the metaphysical impossibility of actual infinities and of a temporally past-infinite universe, traced by Craig to 11th-century Persian Muslim scholastic philosopher Al-Ghazali. Everything that begins to exist has a cause of itsexistence. This premise seems intuitively obvious. Some have been around for centuries, and new arguments are popping up every day. For this, he cites the example of a parent "creating" a child who eventually becomes greater than he or she. Lahore: Pakistan Philosophical Congress, 1963 pp. Kalām Cosmological Argument. The sources used in this presentation are documented according to … What is the Ontological argument for the existence of God? If you aren’t familiar with the KCA, here is a version of it: Everything that begins to exist has a transcendent cause of its existence. Its historic proponents include Al-Kindi,[8] Al-Ghazali,[9] and St. According to the kalam, there can be only one itself-uncaused-and-eternal thing that causes all other things, and that first cause is God. If A Theory is correct, all past moments would have to occur before the present, which would vindicate the first premise. Kalām cosmological argument (Persian: برهان الحدوث) or so called argument form temporality (Huduth) is a general term for the theologians' theoretical arguments for the existence of God. For this, he cites the example of a parent `` creating '' child... Exist, has a cause of its existence Kalām Cosmological argument inductive experience Whatever to... Against a past-infinite universe in the western world by William Lane Craig in his book the... 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