EXPLANATIONS OF THE COSMOS
The Kalam Cosmological Argument (KCA) is a different approach, proposed by Muslim philosophers in the Middle Ages. "Kalam" is a school of thought that tries to defend Islam intellectually against criticisms.
Famous Kalam scholars included Al-Kindi and Al-Ghazali - but they were largely ignored in the West. For centuries, the KCA was an obscure argument, but in the 20th century it became popular because of the Big Bang Theory. Today, the KCA is supported by the American philosopher William Lane Craig. In fact, Craig (who was an American student of John Hick at Birmingham University) came up with the term 'Kalam Argument' to describe this argument. |
William Lane Craig explains the KCA
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P1 Everything that has a beginning has a cause
P2 The universe has a beginning C1 The universe has a cause C2 The cause of the universe is God |
You should see straight away that this gets round the problem in the causality argument (above) because it isn't saying EVERYTHING has a cause - just things that have a beginning. It also avoids the problem of infinite regress because the universe having a beginning it one of the premises.
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YES
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NO
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Aquinas' arguments get bogged down in the debate about infinite regress. It's essential for Aquinas that an infinite series is logically impossible. The KCA just assumes there's no actual infinity. This is much simpler.
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Aquinas' 3rd Way (the argument from contingency) doesn't involve infinite regress. Aquinas isn't focusing solely on a God who acts at the beginning of time, but rather on a God who acts continuously to support his creation.
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The KCA's simple premise that the universe has a beginning is supported by the Big Bang Theory, which is in turn supported by the majority of scientists. This amounts to scientific support for the existence of God.
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A posteriori arguments based on scientific evidence are on shaky ground. Some scientists reject the Big Bang and offer other theories that say the universe might not have had a beginning. If one of these theories gets accepted instead, the KCA's support collapses.
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