philosophy homework questions
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AquinasFiveWays.pptxFive Ways of Proving God’s Existence
Thomas Aquinas
1. Argument from Motion
P1. Some things in the world are in motion.
P2. What is moved is moved by another that is in the state of actuality.
P3. A thing is either in the state of actuality or in the state of potentiality.
P4. So, a thing cannot be both the mover and the moved, or cannot move itself.
P5. If the mover is also moved, then it is moved by another.
P6. There must be a first mover.
P7. So, the movements cannot go on infinitely.
P8. So, there must be an unmoved first mover.
P9. The unmoved first mover is God.
C. Therefore, God exists.
2. Argument from the Nature of Efficient Cause
P1. There is an order of efficient causes in the world.
P2. A thing cannot be the efficient cause of itself, since it cannot be prior to itself.
P3. There must be a first cause.
P4. So, the efficient cause cannot go on infinitely.
P5. Without the cause , there is no effect.
P6. If P4 is false, then there are no efficient causes, since there is no first efficient cause.
P7. Therefore, there must be a first efficient cause.
P8. God is the first efficient cause.
C. Hence, God exists.
3. Argument from Possibility and Necessity
P1. There are things in nature that contingently exists.
P2. Things that contingently exist did not exist prior to their existence.
P3. So, before they even existed, there was nothing in existence.
P4. A non-existent thing begins to exist only through an existent thing.
P5. If everything has contingent existence, then nothing should be in existence.
P6. Therefore, there must be something that necessarily exists.
P7. Things that have necessary existence either have their necessity caused by another or not caused by another.
P8. The causation of necessity cannot go on infinitely.
P9. There must be a necessary existent thing, whose necessity is not caused by another, but causing the necessity of others.
P10. God is the necessary existent thing.
C. Therefore, God exists.
