PHIL 347 Exam 1 Questions and Answers
2024 (A+ Solutions)
What is the basic structure of the cosmological (kalam, craig, plato-philoponus)
argument - ANS-1. Everything that begins to exist has a cause
2. the universe began to exist
therefore the universe has a cause
what is the first a priori argument regarding premise 2 of the Kalam - ANS-The universe
has to have a cause as it cannot be infinite because that implies there there is an actual
infinity of real events
Why can there not be actual infinites of real events? - ANS-Because that would lead us
to deny Euclid's axiom that the whole is always larger than its parts
what is the second a priori argument regarding premise 2 of the Kalam - ANS-Even if
we allow for infinities of real events, the universe cannot be eternal or infinite, as that
would mean that it would've had to have traversed all through a past infinity of events,
which is a set of infinite steps
What are a posteriori arguments for premise 2 of the Kalam - ANS-Big bang cosmology,
big bang singularity, empirically observed background radiation, thermodynamics - if
universe is eternal then we would have run out of energy
Russells objections to second premise of the Kalam - ANS-Set theory has shown that
there can be actual infinities of real objects, therefore this undermines a priori argument
that the universe needs a start date. This is based on the assumption that numbers are
real objects and that consistency implies possibility
Arguments regarding premise 1 of the kalam - Hume's objection the the causal principle
- ANS-Hume rejects intuitive knowledge, and believes everything has to be proven with
experience. Just because some things have a cause does not mean that all things do
Arguments regarding premise 1 of the kalam - Krauss objection the the causal principle
- ANS-Quantum vacuum, Quantum fluctuation proves that something comes from
2024 (A+ Solutions)
What is the basic structure of the cosmological (kalam, craig, plato-philoponus)
argument - ANS-1. Everything that begins to exist has a cause
2. the universe began to exist
therefore the universe has a cause
what is the first a priori argument regarding premise 2 of the Kalam - ANS-The universe
has to have a cause as it cannot be infinite because that implies there there is an actual
infinity of real events
Why can there not be actual infinites of real events? - ANS-Because that would lead us
to deny Euclid's axiom that the whole is always larger than its parts
what is the second a priori argument regarding premise 2 of the Kalam - ANS-Even if
we allow for infinities of real events, the universe cannot be eternal or infinite, as that
would mean that it would've had to have traversed all through a past infinity of events,
which is a set of infinite steps
What are a posteriori arguments for premise 2 of the Kalam - ANS-Big bang cosmology,
big bang singularity, empirically observed background radiation, thermodynamics - if
universe is eternal then we would have run out of energy
Russells objections to second premise of the Kalam - ANS-Set theory has shown that
there can be actual infinities of real objects, therefore this undermines a priori argument
that the universe needs a start date. This is based on the assumption that numbers are
real objects and that consistency implies possibility
Arguments regarding premise 1 of the kalam - Hume's objection the the causal principle
- ANS-Hume rejects intuitive knowledge, and believes everything has to be proven with
experience. Just because some things have a cause does not mean that all things do
Arguments regarding premise 1 of the kalam - Krauss objection the the causal principle
- ANS-Quantum vacuum, Quantum fluctuation proves that something comes from
