Existence of God: An Examination of the Cosmological Arguments as Proof of the Existence of God

Cosmology is the study of the universe as an ordered and rational system. Cosmological arguments are one of several types of arguments which support the existence of god on the basis that god is the best explanation of the universe. Thomas Aquinas presents three ways which support the existence of an unchanging mover, a first efficient cause and a necessary being. (Aquinas, 25) Bruce Reichenbach also presents arguments that support the existence of a necessary being and the universe as a contingent thing that requires a cause. (Reichenbach, 104, 2004) The arguments presented by Aquinas and Reichenbach provide reasonable proof for the existence of God as a concept which is supported by both theistic and scientific reasoning. Bertrand Russell and David Hume are critical of the cosmological arguments, however, the cosmological arguments of Thomas Aquinas and Bruce Reichenbach are able to overcome the objections presented by Russell and Hume.

Name thesis:degree_name

Philosophy

Level thesis:degree_level

Honors Thesis

Grantor

University of Nevada, Reno

Year dc:date.issued

2015

Author dc:creator

• Van Sickle, Aaron

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Lucey, Kenneth G.

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright(All Rights Reserved)

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11714/437

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarwolf.unr.edu:11714/437