Phil 347 Midterm 1 Exam |50 Questions and Answers
Theism - -Belief in God
-Natural Theology - -Philosophical reasons for belief in God (generic theism)
-Revealed Theology - -Belief in God based on authority (religion specific theism)
-Natural vs. Revealed Theology - -Natural takes you halfway to God; there might be a
higher power
Revealed takes you all the way to God; believing in the rules of the authoritative power -
Most religions require generic theism
-Problem of evil - -How can there be a God if there is suffering in the world?
-The Problem of Divine Hiddenness - -God would not let me pray and have no answer for
me
-Okham's Razor - -Don't multiply objects beyond necessity; if you can explain the world in
its depth, then there is no need for further explanation based on a belief in God
-Kalam Timeline - -400 BC - Plato
500 AD - Philoponus
1979 - William Craig
-Kalam - Plato - -Book: Timaeus
"Everything that becomes must of necessity be created by some cause, fo without a cause
nothing can be created"
-Kalam - Philoponus - -Based in Syria to arrive at name "Kalam" - Argued Aristotle on the
eternity of the world; if you have a real infinity of past events, then you can't add to it, so
the world cannot be infinite
-Kalam - William Craig - -Had secondary status within the Kalam argument until he
published his thoughts (1979)
-Kalam Argument can be traced back to... - -Plato & Philo Ponus
-Kalam Argument - -1. Everything that begins to exist has a distinct cause
2. The universe began to exist
2.a Because actual infinities are absurd per se
2.b Even if there were actual infinities, it would be impossible to traverse one to get to the
present
2.b.i Big Bang Singularity
, 2.b.ii Thermodynamics
3. Hence, the universe has a cause distinct from itself
3.a There exists something that is: the cause of the universe, eternal, transcendent,
personal
-Kalam - Big Bang Confirmation - -Expanding universe (Hubble)
1. The universe moving backwards would contract to a singular point
2. Detectable background radiation is indicative of an explosion
-Kalam - Thermodynamics Confirmation - -1. The energy amount is constant & being
converted to heat energy
2. The heat, the total energy in the universe, approaches cosmic equilibrium
3. If the universe has always existed, we should have run out of energy an infinite time ago
-Kalam - Something exists which is... - -1. The cause of the universe
2. Eternal
3. Transcendent
4. Personal
4.a If the cause were mechanical then the universe would have always existed
4.a.i Mechanical cause - operate on material conditions needing to be in place and the laws
of nature
-A priori - -the explanations are done completely on a conceptual level
-A posteriori - -depends on empirical and observational data
-Kalam Objections - -1. Hume's empiricist objection to premise one
2. Krauss' quantum physics objection to premise one
3. Bertrand Russell's set theory objection to premise two support "actual infinities are
absurd"
4. The gap objection
-Kalam - Hume's Objection - -Objection to premise one
1. all knowledge has to be based on experience
1.a Whether a certain effect requires a cause is something we can only know through
experience
1.b We have no experience relating to the origin of the universe
1.c Hence, we have no experience to rule out the universe beginning without a cause
1.c.i Hume would allow the causal principle, but his standards is that one can't provide a
compelling case for the cause of the universe
-Kalam - Krauss' Objection - -Objection to premise one
1. Quantum physicists have observed that things are caused by quantum fluctuations
2. These are as close to what people think of as nothing
2.a Here, you are redefining nothing to be bubbly matter, isn't that something?
3. Hence, quantum physicists have observed that things are caused by nothing
Theism - -Belief in God
-Natural Theology - -Philosophical reasons for belief in God (generic theism)
-Revealed Theology - -Belief in God based on authority (religion specific theism)
-Natural vs. Revealed Theology - -Natural takes you halfway to God; there might be a
higher power
Revealed takes you all the way to God; believing in the rules of the authoritative power -
Most religions require generic theism
-Problem of evil - -How can there be a God if there is suffering in the world?
-The Problem of Divine Hiddenness - -God would not let me pray and have no answer for
me
-Okham's Razor - -Don't multiply objects beyond necessity; if you can explain the world in
its depth, then there is no need for further explanation based on a belief in God
-Kalam Timeline - -400 BC - Plato
500 AD - Philoponus
1979 - William Craig
-Kalam - Plato - -Book: Timaeus
"Everything that becomes must of necessity be created by some cause, fo without a cause
nothing can be created"
-Kalam - Philoponus - -Based in Syria to arrive at name "Kalam" - Argued Aristotle on the
eternity of the world; if you have a real infinity of past events, then you can't add to it, so
the world cannot be infinite
-Kalam - William Craig - -Had secondary status within the Kalam argument until he
published his thoughts (1979)
-Kalam Argument can be traced back to... - -Plato & Philo Ponus
-Kalam Argument - -1. Everything that begins to exist has a distinct cause
2. The universe began to exist
2.a Because actual infinities are absurd per se
2.b Even if there were actual infinities, it would be impossible to traverse one to get to the
present
2.b.i Big Bang Singularity
, 2.b.ii Thermodynamics
3. Hence, the universe has a cause distinct from itself
3.a There exists something that is: the cause of the universe, eternal, transcendent,
personal
-Kalam - Big Bang Confirmation - -Expanding universe (Hubble)
1. The universe moving backwards would contract to a singular point
2. Detectable background radiation is indicative of an explosion
-Kalam - Thermodynamics Confirmation - -1. The energy amount is constant & being
converted to heat energy
2. The heat, the total energy in the universe, approaches cosmic equilibrium
3. If the universe has always existed, we should have run out of energy an infinite time ago
-Kalam - Something exists which is... - -1. The cause of the universe
2. Eternal
3. Transcendent
4. Personal
4.a If the cause were mechanical then the universe would have always existed
4.a.i Mechanical cause - operate on material conditions needing to be in place and the laws
of nature
-A priori - -the explanations are done completely on a conceptual level
-A posteriori - -depends on empirical and observational data
-Kalam Objections - -1. Hume's empiricist objection to premise one
2. Krauss' quantum physics objection to premise one
3. Bertrand Russell's set theory objection to premise two support "actual infinities are
absurd"
4. The gap objection
-Kalam - Hume's Objection - -Objection to premise one
1. all knowledge has to be based on experience
1.a Whether a certain effect requires a cause is something we can only know through
experience
1.b We have no experience relating to the origin of the universe
1.c Hence, we have no experience to rule out the universe beginning without a cause
1.c.i Hume would allow the causal principle, but his standards is that one can't provide a
compelling case for the cause of the universe
-Kalam - Krauss' Objection - -Objection to premise one
1. Quantum physicists have observed that things are caused by quantum fluctuations
2. These are as close to what people think of as nothing
2.a Here, you are redefining nothing to be bubbly matter, isn't that something?
3. Hence, quantum physicists have observed that things are caused by nothing
