... where such evils as terrorism, social conflict, starvation and the continual rise of devastating natural disasters, it appears inconceivable that an ontologically separate, omnipotent, all knowing and all good God can exist. Although theists try to argue this through the Freewill and Teleological defense, both seem heavily flawed and at times contradicting Christianity itself. Transpersonal Solipsism acts as the closest ... nature is too great. This dilemma has challenged both the religious and atheist population since the dawn of human civilization. It's simply illogical to justify the ...

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• Has Bibliography

... , or empirical, evidence. In order to obtain this empirical evidence, we would need to have knowledge based on experience of God. Human beings cannot have a posteriori knowledge of God because God's characteristics are infinite In order for human beings to completely understand a being that is infinite, they must possess an intellect ... which nature itself permits no one to forget" (141). Clark goes on to further support his argument by stating that "if God created us with cognitive faculties which by and large reliably produce beliefs without the need for evidence, he would likewise p...

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... by our parents, our church and our society. During this paper we will examine the many rational arguments for and against the existence of God. It is based on the views of some of the great philosophers of our world. COSMOLOGICAL ARGUMENTS is that someone or something must have ... . Although, we can look at these arguments from a different angle by using Thomas Aquinas's "five ways", which he argues for the existence of God. The first three arguments are dependent on the principal that infinite regresses of causes are inconceivable, which means they rely on the "first cause". His ... pr...

• Word Count: 1699
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• Grade Level: High School

... even desirable in some circumstances, to achieve genuine knowledge by means of human reason. Aquinas" philosophy resulted in five ways of proving God exists. The first of Aquinas" five arguments refers to the Platonian ideal that everything must be moved by something else. "Therefore it ... is necessary to arrive at a first mover, moved by no other; and this everyone understands to be God." Aquinas" second argument comes from the universal fact of cause and effect, where everything a person experiences is an effect resulting from a prior ... similar to Anselm's " that than which nothin...

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... paper first explores the problem of human perception and then relates it back to the ultimate objective: the different issues concerning the existence of God. Content: How did the world come into existence? Are we here for a purpose? These are the two Big Questions that are ... aspects of religion, which are usually more abstract, are rejected by science. The fundamental debate traces back to the question of whether there is God at all. However, let's suppose that with the perfect calibration of physical laws and constants for the survival of present life forms (regardless ... that what...

• Word Count: 1528
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• Grade Level: High School

... exists in reality, rather than in the mind. E.g. A real twenty-pound note is greater than one thousand imaginary twenty pound notes. If God is the greatest thing imaginable, He must exist, for if he didn't, you could imagine something greater - something with all his qualities that ... necessary existence will always be greater than a contingent being, which may or may not have existed. Descartes developed Anselm's argument, but he defines God as, "A supremely perfect being." Descartes began by doubting everything, including truths that he had already previously accepted to be true. He ...

• Word Count: 1799
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... comes "upon the earth" or "after death"." - Friedrich Nietzsche If we look at all religions that exist nowadays, they talk about the existence of a god or gods in some form or other. They are always seen as some sort of higher force looking down on humans, having some power over them. However, ... such gods is denied. Both texts were key books in promoting the idea of Existentialism. This is the belief that there is no all-powerful God and thus, people have the opportunity to do what they like in their existing lives without worrying about the consequences or results in the after life ....

• Word Count: 1692
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• Grade Level: High School

... one must start by understanding the ways in which he can conclude an objects' existence. Descartes set out to build a set of arguments designed to prove God's existence. On those, he constructed all of his other arguments. Descartes explains three proofs in which a person might come to such a conclusion - the ... then he would attain a Godly level of existence. Ultimately, it is his own dependence on another being that proves to him that there is a God. Many people are bred into religion, or borne into a set of ideas about a particular infinite being. The interesting problem with most ty...

• Word Count: 1331
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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... him who is imperfect. Moreover, this perception did not originate from the experiences of the world, nor was this drawn from the senses. Rather, he believes that this perception of God is prior to his own perception, and it could only actually arise from a perfect being. Thus Descartes concludes the only remaining option to be that this perception was innate in ... behind the justifications made by Descartes is related to "free will." Descartes states that the faculty of judgement is not infinite in human beings; human error is not dependent upon God but is rather a mere defect. On the ...

• Word Count: 1315
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• Grade Level: High School

... , if infinite goodness exists, it is impossible for evil to exist at all. However, his reply to this objection is also convincing. He says God's omnipotence and goodness are powerful enough to "allow evil to exist, and out of it produce good." The second objection to his philosophy is one ... of nature can be reduced to the principle of nature, nature itself is caused by, and also has caused necessity by, the first cause, or God. I feel Aquinas brought up some very validating arguments in his article. He uses empirical premises to support his theory. He uses paradigms for each ... , he s...

• Word Count: 1431
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... truth impossible. By setting this idea up, Descartes broke everything down that is certain. Then, Descartes built everything back up by there being a certainty of God. He was able to establish that there was a certainty of God by laying a foundation to build on which was an idea. He first said an idea must have a cause, next he said that the cause must ... perfect. If people don't have those presuppositions (i.e. Atheists) then Descartes argument is disregarded because that's the basis around how certainty is achieved. I believe that Descartes argument for the existence of God makes log...

• Word Count: 1300
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• Grade Level: High School

... evolutionary existence. People try to reason with the things around them in order to understand the world. Many, for example, ask the question, "If God exists than why is there evil in the world?" Thomas Aquinas, a well known philosopher of the 13th century addresses these questions and many others by ... In the same sense, there has to be some sort of Devine intervention in order for existence. It becomes necessary to have this Devine entity or god because it is known that contingent beings exist today. " Therefore, not all beings are merely possible, but there must exist something the ...

• Word Count: 1348
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... a creator to create such simple matters and this creator being a Supreme Being. Ideas, like matter, must also be generated from pre-existing ideas. The existence of a Supreme Being, also called God, is a conceived idea. This idea cannot be created unless there was a pre-existing idea that led to it, and thus this undoubtedly provides evidence for a Supreme Being's existence because humans ... are limited and imperfect, a Supreme Being, who has to be unlimited and perfect, must exist. Rene Descartes clearly expresses this idea as he states: Granted, however, that I could not cogitate God...

• Word Count: 1612
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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... being unless the being had already existed: this idea had existed to Anselm through his faith. Anselm went on to propose a proposition that if God exists in reality and in solo intellectu, he would undoubtedly be proven to exist. This would set up a perfect argument for Anselm. Furthermore, ... in mind and reality is greater than just in mind. This is necessary being the possibility of which is impossible. There is no possibility in God because His possibility is impossible. Anslem believes there are four kinds of beings: those which must exist, cannot exist, cannot be possible, and no...

• Word Count: 1637
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... resembles how a country uses defensive rings to protect the everyday life of a community within its borders. In light of Foreman's sentiments through a memoir dubbed, "Approaching the Question on God's existence" I believe the burden of proof rests on the legitimacy of the defendant in view of the anti-theistic challenge. The anti-theistic challenger should establish credentials to earn the ... events referred to as proofs (O'Connor, 1998). These arguments are not a priori in the form of a posteriori in character to allow such a possibility. Some of the proofs deny God's existence and p...

• Word Count: 1965
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... ", which translates to "faith in search of understanding". In his argument, he raises several points that persuade the reader. One of them being that God's existence is not only in the mind, but also in reality. The atheist or fool understands that there is something than which nothing greater can ... be imagined. With this in mind, atheists have an idea of God, but it is up to them whether they choose to believe or not. Ideas are strictly different from reality, and reality is greater than ... to understand." This is important because Anselm indicates his faith is in search of underst...

• Word Count: 1558
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... pre-established harmony. According to Leibniz's theory of a pre-established harmony, humans are not responsible for their actions; instead God arranges everyone's actions. God has the power to influence the world to his desires and wills, however it leaves humans with little moral responsibility for their ... actions. The lack of human responsibility is evident throughout Liebniz's works. If everything happens because God wanted it to take place what explains the violence and destruction that we endure everyday. Through religions we have learned to attribute ... could possibly be learn...

• Word Count: 1276
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... true of the idea that it has the property of always existing, and I clearly and distinctly perceive this. 5. Thus it follows from premises 1 and 4 that God must exist. Now that we have the argument in point form, let us move on and see where it is weak to criticism. Let us begin with the ... first premise. We can argue that this very first premise already assumes the existence of God. For what Descartes is saying is, let us suppose a thing, simply as an idea. If this idea has this property, and I clearly and distinctly ... that were there to be one, there would be the other. This howeve...

• Word Count: 1513
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... totality of contingent things (baseball games) which explains them, something which is itself necessary and therefore requires no explanation other than itself. This forms Leibniz's proof for the existence of God; a version of Aquinas's cosmological arguments. God, then, is the necessary being which constitutes the explanation of contingent being, why the universe is this way rather than any other. Not only is ... " On Leibniz's view, every Monad is like a clock, behaving spontaneously in the way that it does, independently of other Monads, but nevertheless tied into the others through t...

• Word Count: 1626
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... product of intelligent design. 2) The universe is a highly complex object with intricate moving parts. 3) Probably, the universe is a product of intelligent design. 4) No one could design a universe but God. 5) Therefore, probably, there is a God. If this argument were a beautiful young lady, my roommates and I would consider her to be suffering from the Barbie Syndrome - Nice exterior, hollow interior. The Teleology suffers from ... of drawing a conclusive decision simply because they both show intricate moving parts and seem to serve a purpose offers feeble support, particularly in str...

• Word Count: 2432
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... not explicable without reference to causes and factors outside itself. Although the cosmological argument was famously expressed as one of Thomas Aquinas' Five Ways (rational arguments for the existence of God) it is grounded in the Greek metaphysics of Plato and Aristotle. Both argued that the fact of motion (i.e. things move) requires a mover ('... the series must start with something for ... philosopher. Called the Doctor Angelicus (the Angelic Doctor,) Aquinas is considered one the greatest Christian philosophers to have ever lived. Thomas Aquinas proposed five ways that "proved" th...

• Word Count: 1685
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... are like computers, processing information and executing our thoughts. And we are the ones who created computers. Computers have changed our world, the world God created for us. The twenty first century has brought many changes to this world, and computers have changed the way many people view it. Is ... everything just a big compilation of 0's and 1's? Can everything be explained by a combination of just these two numbers? Can GOD be explained by just these two numbers??? The interesting matter of metaphysics come up- can human beings explain the unexplainable by using only computer lan...

• Word Count: 2049
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... is a discussion of metaphysics, or what is real. In these writings, he ultimately hopes to achieve absolute certainty about the nature of everything including God, the physical world, and himself. It is only with a clear and distinct knowledge of such things that he can then begin to understand ... to his assimilation of wisdom and virtue. It also follows that evil is a product of a limited intellect, so it is us, not God, that is responsible for evil in the world. The obvious conflict between science and religion is another concern that Descartes hopes to resolve. The ... , and person...

• Word Count: 1700
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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... in most modern Christians" world views. Humanity's position has been put in opposition to material things and the world itself. From a Christian perspective, since God created people, the world, and everything else and then deemed it good, surely humanity's prime purpose cannot be to oppose and disregard these things. The ... , allows us to learn, and contains memories. The soul is what sets people apart from the rest of creation and what makes humans in the image of God. It gives people a sense of morality, a conscience, and a notion to consider the eternal. All three of these parts to...

• Word Count: 1726
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... He finds that he possesses the idea of a perfect being. A perfect being has all perfectible qualities to an infinite extent. The way he goes on proving god exists is that if Descartes, an imperfect being, who makes mistakes, has an idea of a perfect being the being must exist. The way he explains this ... being is that its existence is an essential property of itself. People live a contingent existence, we don't have to exist, and we depend on something else. God exists in every possible world. He also guarantees the truth of all self-evident ideas. We no longer have to worry that there i...

• Word Count: 1577
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School