PHL 201 Problems of Philosophy

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PHL 201 Problems of Philosophy

• March 25th
• Chapter Five, God

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Overview

• Faith that God exists vs. Justified Belief that
  God exists
• The concept of God
• The Ontological Argument
• The First-Cause Argument
• The Argument from Design
• The Evidence of Miracles
• The Utility of Belief in God
• The Problem of Evil

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Faith that God exists vs. Justified Belief that
God exists

• Should religious claims (e.g. There is a God)
  be assessed in terms of truth and falsehood?
• Can we find some reason to believe that God
  exists?
• Fideism The view that religious belief is based
  on faith, not on reason

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The Concept of God

• Different cultures and religions offer quite
  different conceptions of God or Gods
• The conception that interests Blackburn is shared
  by Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
• Gods principal attributes (perfections) are
• -Omnipotence (all-powerful)
• -Omniscience (all-knowing)
• - Goodness (all-good)

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The Ontological Argument

• In his Meditations, Descartes offers several
  arguments for the existence of God
• The Trademark Argument
• A version of The Ontological Argument
• All perfections are properties of the Supreme
  Being.
• Existence is a perfection.
• Therefore,
• The Supreme Being has existence i.e. God
  exists.

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The Ontological Argument

• A version of Descartes argument was offered by
  an earlier philosopher/theologian, St. Anselm
  (1033-1109). The argument has 2 parts.
• Part 1
• The concept of God (the being with ALL
  perfections) is understood.
• Whatever is understood exists in our minds.
• Therefore,
• God exists in our minds.

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• Part 2
• Suppose God exists only in our minds, and not in
  reality.
• Then we can conceive of a being greater than God
  one that really exists.
• But God is defined as that being than which
  nothing greater can be conceived.
• So, no greater being can be conceived.
• But this contradicts our supposition (4) that God
  exists only in our minds.
• Therefore,
• Our supposition that God exists only in our minds
  is false i.e. God exists outside of our minds.

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• Is this a sound argument?
• Some things to wonder about
• Is existence really a predicate?
• Is existence a perfection?
• Does the argument allow us to prove too much?
• - The Proof that Dreamboat exists
  (Think, p.156)
• Does it make sense to compare things that exist
  in reality with things that exist in the mind?
  (Think, pp. 157-158)

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The First-Cause Argument

• There are now things changing and causing change.
• Something causes change only if it is caused to
  change by something else.
• If something causes change only if it is caused
  to change by something else, then its causal
  chain is infinitely long.
• But no causal chain is infinitely long.
• Therefore,
• There is something that causes change, but is not
  caused to change by something else i.e. there
  is a first-cause and it is God.

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• Is this a sound argument?
• Some things to wonder about
• Why cant there be an infinitely long series of
  causes and effects?
• Why think that the first-cause, if there was one,
  must still exist?
• Why think that the first-cause, if there was one,
  is God?
• If God requires no cause in order to change or
  cause change, then why not just stop with the
  physical world?

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The Argument from Design

• Based on an analogy The universe, as an ordered
  structure, resembles (or is analogous to) a
  mechanism (e.g. a watch)
• The universe is like a mechanism.
• Like effects have like causes.
• The cause of a mechanism is an intelligent being.
• Therefore, probably
• The cause of the universe is an intelligent
  being.
• This cause is God (The Wise Architect)

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• Is this a cogent argument?
• Some things to wonder about
• Is the analogy a good one?
• Why think that the designer, if there was one,
  must still exist?
• Why think that the designer, if there was one, is
  God?
• Are there other hypotheses that would explain the
  existence of order in the universe?

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The Evidence of Miracles

• Some people report having witnessed or
  experienced miracles.
• Miracles, if they exist, are violations of
  natural regularities and natural laws.
• If miracles occur, then probably there is a God.
• Therefore,
• There is some evidence (i.e. the testimony of
  those who report miracles) that probably there is
  a God.

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• Is this a cogent argument?
• David Humes Objection
• Suppose Jones offers a report, R, that a miracle
  occurred.
• R is, of course, very improbable (because
  miracles are very improbable).
• Considering the following 2 possibilities, we
  should reject the one that is least probable
• (a) Jones reports R, but R did not actually
  happen.
• (b) Jones reports R, and R actually occurred.
• But, clearly, the least likely of these options
  is the (b). So we should believe (a). (see
  Think, pp. 179-180)