Philosophical supporters of the Cosmo

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Philosophical supporters of the Cosmo
Copleston

• Fredrick Copleston, a professor of history and
  philosophy, was a supporter of the Cosmological
  argument and reformulated the argument with
  particular focus on Aquinas argument of
  contingency. He proposed his argument in 1947 on
  a BBC radio debate with Bertrand Russell, and
  argued that
• There are things in the universe which are
  contingent, they might have not existed. E.g. you
  would have not existed if your parents had not
  met.
• All things in the world are like this, nothing in
  the world is self explanatory, and everything
  depends on something else for its existence.
• Therefore, there must be a cause of everything in
  the universe which is outside of it.
• This cause must be a self-explanatory being i.e.
  one which contains within itself the reason for
  its own existence a necessary being.
• This necessary being is God.
•  

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Conclusion- Copleston Prof. Copleston argues
that we observe a series of causes and effects.
This series of contingent events makes up the
world that we understand and observe. He believes
that it is legitimate to wonder where this world
of contingent events has come from. He does not
accept that the cause of the world can be found
within the world itself there must be a
self-sufficient cause outside of the world to be
its cause. This self-sufficient cause, he argues
is God. His line of argument and reasoning puts
him firmly in the supporting corner of the
Cosmological argument.
Fredrick Copleston
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Mackie
J.L Mackie defended Aquinas argument that there
must be a prime mover, who himself is unmoved.
Mackie offered an analogy of a train carriage.
He argues that there can be an infinite number
of carriages, each of which may move the next
one, but it only makes sense if there is a
railway engine. Just as Aquinas would state
that there is an infinite number of objects
moving from potentiality to actuality it only
makes sense if there is a prime mover who starts
the process, just like the railway engine.
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Leibniz
The principle of sufficient reason - supports
Cosmo argument
A more modern form of the Cosmological argument,
postulated by Leibniz (1646-1716). It looks at
the argument from a slightly different angle and
talks about reasons. Leibniz argued that
everything that happens has a reason, i.e. there
is some explanation, known or unknown for
things. The world does not contain within itself
the reason for its existence. The reason for its
existence must therefore be God.