PHIL 347 FINAL Exam With Correct Verified Answers.

Omnipotence - correct answer - God can do anything that is intrinsically (non-contradictory) possible for God to do Omniscience - correct answer - God knows the future - God is immutable, so foreknowledge is nonexistent *obj*: God would "change his mind" depending on what an agent chooses to do The Kalam Cosmological Argument - correct answer (1) everything that begins to exist has a *cause* (2) the universe began to exist the number of past events is continuously augmented, so not infinite, so there is a *beginning* (3) so, the universe has a cause that is *distinct from itself* Why is the cause from the cosmological personal? - correct answer (4) a cause is either *mechanical* or *personal* (5) mechanical entails order and laws of nature, which did NOT exist *before* the universe (6) the universe then must have a *distinct, personal* cause (7) so, the universe has a cause that is *distinct from itself* W.L. Craig on the Kalam Argument - correct answer - the Big Bang model predicts the absolute beginning of the universe, which gives evidence for this argument further support f. Second Law of Thermodynamics "Possibility" objections to Kalam - correct answer - *obj 1*: anything conceivable is possible, x starting to exist w/o a cause included - *obj 2*: anything that is non-contradictory is possible, x starting to exist w/o a cause included Counter-objection to Kalam "possibility" objection - correct answer - it is NOT evident that conceivability or consistency imply possibility Quantum objection to Kalam - correct answer - subatomic particles have been observed to appear w/o observed causes in vacuums things can begin to exist w/o a cause Quantum objection counter - correct answer - an absence of an observed cause is NOT the same as absence of a *real cause* Kraal's objections to Kalam - correct answer - "everything that begins to exist must has a cause distinct f. itself" does NOT mean a creator, instead: multiple, simultaneous causes a cause distinct f. *our universe* a cause not of "omni-nature" The "First Cause" Cosmological Argument - correct answer (1) there are *effects* in the world (2) every effect has a *preexisting, distinct* cause (3) these causes and effects may form a *series* (4) this series must *terminate* w/ an ultimate cause (5) this ultimate cause is God, aka the *first* cause Assumption with the First Cause Argument - correct answer - there is always a *complete explanation,* meaning that x can be explained to the extent it provides a terminating cause, for a given effect (PSR) The "Sufficient Reason" Cosmological Argument - correct answer (1) there are *contingent* SoAs (2) every *contingent* SoA depends on a prior SoAs (3) these may form a *series* together (4) this series must terminate w/ a *necessary* SoAs as it requires to a complete answer to "why" (5) there is *something* necessary -- GOD! Objections to the PSR assumption - correct answer (1) the universe is just there (Russell) (2) a brute fact that is contingent can be simply conceived of (Hume) (3) implies that *every* contingency needs an explanation, which makes ALL facts necessary (paradox) Aquinas's Third Argument (Cosmological) - correct answer (1) there are contingent things (2) every contingent thing at one time did NOT exist (3) so, if all beings were contingent, then at one point there was *nothing* (4) but, there is *something* (5) so, NOT everything is a contingent being (6) there is at least something *necessary* (7) there is someone necessary, w/ at least *one* of the *divine attributes* Objections to Aquinas's Third Way - correct answer (1) NOT evident that there could be NO eternally existing contingencies (2) possibility of infinite contingencies (3) divinity does not entail necessity (e.g. math, we don't worship "25") The Teleological Argument - correct answer (1) there are intricate, functional structures that are often biological (2) function means *intention* (3) intention means *intender* (4) intender means an *intelligent mind* (5) God is this intelligent mind The Darwinian Objection - correct answer - the relevant purposeful structures came about because of natural variation and natural selection, that are random - randomness entails mindlessness Dennett's blindspot argument - correct answer - if there was an intelligent mind, a purposeful, functional structure such as the eye would not have errors like blindspots, a seemingly easy thing to avoid "Random" objection to Darwinism - correct answer - random genetic mutations could be caused by God, when random means NO correlation b/w new adaptations of organisms in an environment due to genomes Hume's objections to the teleological argument - correct answer (1) a plurality of intelligent minds who make the structures, like many people building a ship (2) perfect deity that resembles humans who is the creator, who is NOT God (3) does NOT give evidence for omni-theism an intelligent mind simply implies "architect" Paley's counter-objection to Hume - correct answer - there is definitive unity/cohesion of the universe, *one* agreed upon plan of how things function this entails God *Hume's reply*: how do we know that the ENTIRE universe is so *cohesive* when distant galaxies seem chaotic? The Ontological Argument (Anselm) - correct answer - it is greater to exist in reality, than only in the mind (1) "God" is a being greater than which cannot be thought of (2) God is at least thought of in the mind (3) existing in reality is better than only in mind (4) if God was ONLY in mind, then something could be thought of to be greater that is omni- and in reality (5) 1 and 4 contradict each other (6) then, God CANNOT exist ONLY in the mind (7) God exists in reality too Gaunilo's Objection to the Ontological Argument - correct answer - God can be substituted with the "perfect island," or any other such object, and still function Platinga's counter-objection to Gaunilo's island - correct answer - a "perfect island" can always be improved more coconuts, more drinks, more dancing girls Kant's Objection to Descartes's Ontological Argument - correct answer - "existence" itself is NOT an attribute (predicate), because anything that has a property already exists when one thinks of it - there is NO questioning the concept of existence itself when it comes to an object that exists - if there is no triangle, there are no sides either Counter-objection to Kant on the Ontological Argument - correct answer - things that do *not* exist in reality can still have attributes, like Santa Claus, Donald Duck, etc. "Other worlds" objection to the Ontological Argument - correct answer - possibly true only entails *one world*, necessarily true entails *all worlds* how to know if God's existence is necessarily true from this argument? Platinga's Modal Ontological Argument - correct answer (1) it is possible that God (maximally great being) exists (2) if its possible that God (MGB) exists, then God (MGB) exists in some possible world (3) if God exists in some possible world, then he exists in all possible worlds due to being maximally great (4) if God exists in all possible worlds, then god exists in the actual world Graham Oppy's Modal Ontological Argument - correct answer (1) possible that God exists (2) God exists if and ONLY if it is *necessary* that God exists, by definition (3) if something is possibly necessarily true, then it IS true (4) it is possible that it is necessarily true that God exists in all worlds (5) so, God exists Platinga's Argument Triumphant - correct answer - if something possibly necessarily exists, it actually exists too (1) there is a possible world in which maximal greatness is instantiated (2) necessarily, a being is maximally great *only* if it has maximal excellence in *every world* (3) necessarily, a being has maximal excellence in every world *only* if it has the omni-attributes in every world Descartes' Ontological Argument - correct answer - the concept of God is the the concept of a necessarily existing being (1) anything that is distinctly perceived to be contained in the idea of something is true of that thing (2) one clearly and distinctly perceives that necessary existence is contained in the idea of God (3) therefore, God exists. analogous to the simplicity of a triangle having three sides The Problem of Evil - correct answer (1) if there were a divine gov't of the world, evil XYZ, that is horrible, would NOT exist (2) evil XYZ happens (3) so, there is no divine gov't (4) God cannot exist The Manichean Objection to the Problem of Evil - correct answer (1) if the