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Cosmological Argument

 

             Thomas Aquinas classified and reworked five theories to argue the existence of God, however, only the first three apply to "The Cosmological Argument".   In his writings he refuted the claim that, " the name God means that He is infinite goodness.     If, therefore, God existed, there would be no evil discoverable; but there is evil in the world.     Therefore God does not exist."   Thomas Aquinas responded, "For motion is nothing else than the reduction of something from potentially to actuality.     But nothing can be reduced from potentiality to actuality, except by something in a state of actuality Therefore, it is necessary to arrive at a first mover, moved by no other; and this everyone understands to be God". Thomas Aquinas argues that movement cannot have an infinite regress because without a first cause, intermediate causes would be impossible. "In a world of sensible things we find there is an order of efficient causes.     There is no case known (neither is it, indeed, possible) in which a thing is found to be the efficient cause of itself; for so it would be prior to itself, which is impossible.   Now in efficient causes it is not possible to go on to infinity, because in all efficient causes following in order, the first is the cause of the intermediate cause, and the intermediate is the cause of the ultimate cause, whether the intermediate cause be several, or only one." .
                     In these two arguments Thomas Aquinas states that motion and cause of motion can not be traced back infinitely, in doing so he refutes the thought that there was no beginning to motion. Aquinas argues that something cannot come from nothing and that all things began with God, as there is no other way for them to begin.     "Now it is impossible to go on to infinity in necessary things which have their necessity caused by another, as has already proved in regard to efficient causes.


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