The kalam cosmological argument is essentially timebound. The cosmological argument is less a particular argument than an argument type. New remarks on the cosmological argument gustavo e. Craigs book, the kalam cosmological argument, is essential reading for anyone interested in this controversial, but highly compelling, argument for the existence of god. It uses a general pattern of argumentation logos that makes an inference from particular alleged facts about the universe cosmos to the existence of a unique being, generally identified with or referred to as god. Jul 17, 20 although the argument fell into relatively obscurity after it was promoted in the middle ages, it received new life through william lane craigs 1979 book the kalam cosmological argument. If the universe is not eternal, then it could fail to exist and so does not exist by a necessity of its own nature. The ancient kalam cosmological argument maintains that the series of past events is finite and that therefore the universe began to exist. William lane craigs defence of kalam cosmological arguments has generated a large amount of discussion in the years since the publication of his book on that topic. Craig, the kalam cosmological argument, the macmillan press ltd, 1979, p. William lane craig has refined it to make it the cornerstone of his argument for the existence of the god of christianity.
The kalam cosmological argument, volume 1 by paul copan. If, however, you find it helpful i do to come to terms with some of the background of how the argument came to be developed, i highly recommend it. Neither grunbaum nor oppy succeeds in showing an incoherence in the. The first section can be skipped it you are just looking for a quick understanding of craig s reasons for accepting the kalam argument.
An essential property of a being that exists by a necessity of its own nature is that it be eternal, that is. William lane craig has offered and defended various accounts that seek to establish the necessary and sufficient conditions for when something begins to exist. In recent years, christian philosopher william lane craig has brought the kalam cosmological argument back into the spotlight. Specifically, i focus on the philosopher william lane craigs defense of the argument given in his academic writings, public debates, and online articles. In defense of kalam scholarly works reasonable faith. This objection reminds me of william lane craigs nutty claim that his personal experience of the holy. The clocks were functioning, thus someone must have set them in motion, even if their winding had been designed to last a long time. The kalam cosmological argument is a modern formulation of the cosmological argument for the existence of god. In this paper i present objections to the kalam cosmological argument kca, a modernized formulation of the general class of cosmological arguments for the existence of god. William lane craig advances an argument for the existence of god in the kalam cosmological argument london.
A survey of recent philosophical literature on the kalam cosmological argument reveals that arguments for the finitude of the past and, hence, the beginning of the universe remain robust. Pdf kalam cosmological argument and the modern science. The kalam cosmological argument 9781579104382 by william lane craig. Cosmological argument stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. The temporal finiteness of the universe is based upon philosophical arguments for the presumed impossibility of an actual infinity of past events and is. This variation became known as the kalam cosmological argument. An essential property of a being that exists by a necessity of its own nature is that it be eternal, that is to say, without beginning or end. Draper raises several objections to craig and morelands kalam argument. Revisiting the kalam cosmological argument bob seidensticker. The cosmological argument is, a family of arguments that seek to demonstrate the existence of a sufficient reason or first cause of the existence of the cosmos. Craig, mackie, and the kalam cosmological argument in professor mackie and the kalam cosmological argument religious studies, xx 1984, 36775, professor william lane craig undertakes to demonstrate that j. What is the difference between the kalam cosmological. What we call today the kalam cosmological argument, was first made by aristotle and then by islamic scholars in the 9th century.
Hawking succeed in showing that kalam arguments are not rationally compelling pieces of natural theology. This is not supposed to represent an endorsement of the argument, but merely serves as an introduction to it. Therefore, according to the principle of determination premiss one in the lqtisad, an agent must exist who creates the world. May 03, 2012 william lane craig perhaps, the most well known proponent of the kalam cosmological argument gives a presentation on the philosophical the impossibility of an actual infinite number of things. The kalam cosmological argument meets the mentaculus. Apr 17, 2009 summary this chapter contains sections titled. An argument for god software engineering last updated wednesday, december 02, 1998 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.
On the kalam cosmological argument common sense atheism. If something causes the universe to begin to exist, then it is not essentially a part of the universe 5. Kalam cosmological argument research papers academia. Eternity and time in william lane craigs kalam cosmological argument james still. Mackie advances do serve to refute the kalam cosmological argument. The kalam cosmological argument essay 1100 words cram. British journal for the philosophy of science 29 1978. Craigs 2015 lecture at the university of birmingham, where he did his doctoral studies which led to the revival of the kalam cosmological argument in our day. Since craigs original publication, the kalam cosmological argument has elicited public debate between craig and graham oppy, adolf grunbaum, j. Craig has become the arguments leading proponent, and thanks to his famous debates with atheists that end up on youtube, the kalam argument has become. The kalam cosmological argument by william lane craig and. God, time and the kalam cosmological argument springer. The kalam cosmological argument for god studies in.
In the kalam cosmological argument for god, mark nowacki analyzes and provides a novel defense of the kalam cosmological argument for the existence of god kca. Of the many ongoing debates to answer this question, william craig examines one of the most controversial proofs for the existence of god. I aim to defend of version of the kalam cosmological argument that. Two recent scientific discoveries have yielded plausible prima facie physical evidence for the beginning of the universe. Today this argument, largely forgotten since the time of kant, is once again back at center stage. John mackie, quentin smith, adolf grunbaum and i are just some of the philosophers. Craig s 2015 lecture at the university of birmingham, where he did his doctoral studies which led to the revival of the kalam cosmological argument in our day. Simply put if con can present evidence or argument that successfully dismantles the kalam, con wins.
Craig and coauthor james sinclair have argued the low entropy interface between universes should instead be understood as the beginning of two universes. Craig thinks that the first premise is intuitively true. On the one hand, if the direction of time is reducible, as friends of the mentaculus e. The kalam cosmological argument the blackwell companion to. Craig and coauthor james sinclair have argued the low entropy interface between.
Moreover, the leibnizian argument is reinforced by the support which the kalam cosmological argument adds to premises 1 and 2. Two recent scientific discoveries have yielded plausible prima facie physical evidence for. Arguing about the kalam cosmological argument william lane craigs defence of kalam cosmological arguments has generated a large amount of discussion. The most widely discussed argument for the existence of god is the socalled kalam cosmological argument, which originated in attempts on the part of certain ancient philosophers to rebut. Although different variations of the argument have been used by aristotle, aquinas, leibniz, and ghazali, this paper will focus mainly on the cosmological argument formulated from alghazali. Pdf we present a formal analysis of the revised version of the kalam cosmo logical argument advocated by w. It should be obvious that craig s conclusion that a single personal agent created the universe is a non sequitur. Craig explains and evaluates, and later defends, ghazalis cosmological argument. The kalam cosmological argument the cosmological argument attempted to prove that, regardless of whether or not the universe has a finite past, it requires a cause that is outside of the universe. Mackies analysis of the kalam cosmological argument.
William lane craig, the kalam cosmological argument, the macmillan press ltd, 1979, p. The kalam cosmological argument meets the mentaculus danlinford abstract. William lane craig perhaps, the most well known proponent of the kalam cosmological argument gives a presentation on the philosophical the impossibility of an actual infinite number of things. Among different arguments for the existence of god the kalam cosmological argument is a very famous one which is elaborated by professor william lane craig. But, imagine that we could prove that the universe does have a finite past.
The kalam cosmological argument deploys the following causal principle. There are two aspects of the kalam argument that especially make it different from st. Introduction to the kalam cosmological argument calum miller. It was popularized by william lane craig in his book, the kalam cosmological argument 1979. New support for the cosmological argument catholic answers. Graham oppy maintains that, despite my replies, the critiques of the kalam cosmological argument offered by a. Therefore there is a cause of the universe that is not essentially a part of the universe.
Or could it have come into existence uncaused, from nothing. The kalam cosmological argument is one of the most popular cosmological arguments around today. The two volumes of copans the kalam cosmological argument, without a. Or is the material universe all that is, or ever was, or ever will be.
Craig and kalam cosmological argument directory of open. We present a formal analysis of the cosmological argument in its two main forms. Introduction to the kalam cosmological argument this is a particular form of the cosmological argument developed in a modern form primarily by william lane craig. One approach to answering this question is the cosmological argument. What does it mean to say that x begins to exist at t. View kalam cosmological argument research papers on academia. Mackie and quentin smith, and has been used in christian apologetics.
Everything that begins to exist has a cause the cause of. Sep 09, 2012 what we call today the kalam cosmological argument, was first made by aristotle and then by islamic scholars in the 9th century. Whatever begins to exist, has a cause of its existence. Eternity and time in william lane craigs kalam cosmological.
Pdf arguing about the kalam cosmological argument graham. A defense of the kalam cosmological argument and the b. In a critique of craig s book the kalam cosmological argument, published in 1979, michael martin states. Cosmological argument kalam argument according to craig, the kalam cosmological argument is constructed as follows. The argument is fairly straightforward and enjoys intuitive support. The kalam cosmological argument by william lane craig. We discuss both premises of the argument in the light of modern logi. Craig claims that the universe began to exist, then he continues to say. This chapter addresses, one by one, the two premises of the. Mar 12, 2020 there are two aspects of the kalam argument that especially make it different from st. Metcalfe abstract william lane craig is the most recognizable contemporary defender of the kalam cosmological argument. Craig has become the arguments leading proponent, and thanks to his famous debates with atheists that end up on youtube, the kalam argument has become wellknown and is vigorously dissected by critics. The argument, in its simplest form, is that i whatever begins to. What if the universe just popped into existence one day.
In his book, craig argues that since the universe began to exist, the efficient cause of the universes existence must have been god. At most, this kalam argument shows that some personal agent or agents created the universe. Craig has united to the traditional philosophical reflections the recent developments of mathematics and physical science, both lead to con. For more than thirty years, william lane craig has vigorously championed the kalam cosmological argument. This paper examines the kalam cosmological argument, as put forward by william craig. A defense of the kalam cosmological argument and the btheory of time curtis j. The kalam cosmological argument kca is a favorite of many christian apologists. Everything that begins to exist has a cause the cause of the universe properties of the first cause obje. Yet, under what conditions does something begin to exist. Craig infers the existence of a personal god from the supposedly finite past of the universe. Eternity and time in william lane craigs kalam cosmological argument. I note that there is no contradiction involved in these things. Because of its historic roots in medieval islamic theology, i christened the argument the kalam cosmological argument kalam is the arabic word for medieval theology. Building on the work of william lane craig, nowacki locates the proper modal context in which the kca should be understood.
Sound is defined as a logically valid argument that withstands all scrutiny. Plantingas brief criticisms of kants argument in his first antinomy concerning time are shown not to be problematic for the kalam argument. A defense of the kalam cosmological argument and the btheory. The series of temporal phenomena must have a beginning. The kalam cosmological argument craig 2009 wiley online. However it might be formulated, it depends on the conclusion that.
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