Philosophy of Religion: Arguments for God
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Questions and Answers

What does the cosmological argument primarily seek to demonstrate?

  • The existence of God as a necessary being (correct)
  • The existence of multiple gods
  • The inherent absurdity of existence
  • The irrelevance of motion in causation

Which version of Aquinas' cosmological argument relates to the idea of a prime mover?

  • Argument from contingency
  • Argument from motion (correct)
  • Argument from necessity
  • Argument from efficient causation

In Aquinas' argument from efficient causation, what is required to explain what occurred?

  • An unrelated effect
  • A brute fact
  • A sufficient cause (correct)
  • An uncaused effect

Which objection to the cosmological argument suggests that the universe itself could cause its own existence?

<p>Self-causers (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What principle is challenged by the notion of an uncaused God in the cosmological argument?

<p>Principle of sufficient reason (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does the objection regarding first causes assert about God's existence?

<p>God requires an external cause for its existence (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What concept is central to the cosmological argument regarding the universe?

<p>The principle of sufficient reason. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which version of Aquinas' cosmological argument relates to contingent beings needing a necessary being?

<p>Argument from contingency (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a brute fact according to objections to the cosmological argument?

<p>An event with no explanation (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What analogy does Paley use to argue for the existence of a designer?

<p>A watch having an intelligent designer. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is a characteristic of natural evils?

<p>Volcanoes and earthquakes. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which philosophical issue does the evidential argument from evil primarily address?

<p>The quantity and type of evil provide a challenge to theism. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What best describes an open theist?

<p>Someone who denies at least one of the tri-partites of God (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does the logical problem of evil suggest about the nature of God?

<p>God’s attributes are inconsistent with the existence of evil. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which option serves as a potential justification for the existence of evil according to theism?

<p>Evil prompts human growth. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary focus of the soul-making defense of theism?

<p>Character-building through evolution and free choices (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does the tri-partite view of God include as one of its perfections?

<p>Omniscience. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What significant problem does the free-will defense face concerning the evidential argument from evil?

<p>It fails to address the existence of suffering among innocents (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following theories claims that minds and bodies are distinct entities?

<p>Cartesian dualism (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a common objection to Paley's Design Argument?

<p>It attributes machine-like qualities to the universe. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a fundamental objection to Cartesian dualism posed by Elizabeth?

<p>It fails to explain the interaction between mental and physical substances (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does identity theory assert about the mind?

<p>The mind is identical to brain states (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a primary concern with behaviorism as a theory of mind?

<p>It cannot adequately account for mental states alone (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does Descartes support his argument for Cartesian dualism?

<p>By suggesting identical things share all properties (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the problem of multiple realizability, and which view of mind does it challenge?

<p>It indicates that mental states can be realized in different ways, challenging identity theory. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does the Turing Test determine?

<p>If a machine can mimic human thought in conversation. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does the Chinese Room argument illustrate about understanding language?

<p>Merely processing symbols does not equate to understanding. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What question does 'What is it like to be a bat?' raise in discussions of consciousness?

<p>It queries the subjective nature of experiences that are fundamentally different from our own. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the knowledge argument illustrated by Mary the color scientist?

<p>Experiencing a new color provides knowledge that cannot be derived from physical information alone. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

In the context of consciousness, what does the hard problem refer to?

<p>Determining how brain processes result in subjective experiences. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What distinguishes easy problems of consciousness from hard problems?

<p>Easy problems can be addressed by behavioral assessments; hard problems require subjective insights. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does the inverted spectrum problem demonstrate?

<p>It suggests subjective experiences of color can be identical regardless of physical differences. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does determinism imply about the future?

<p>The future can be predicted if we understand the past and the laws of nature. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which interpretation of free will requires determinism to be false?

<p>Premium free will (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the core concept of the source account of freedom?

<p>The ability to act on one's wants and desires. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does Harry Frankfurt challenge the consequence argument?

<p>He suggests that alternative possibilities are not necessary for freedom. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What experimental findings does the neuroscience argument against free will rely on?

<p>There is brain activity preceding conscious intention to act. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is Al Mele's critique regarding the Libet cases?

<p>The timing of greater decisions is often exaggerated. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is Robin Repko's perspective on technology and free will?

<p>Brain-Computer Interfaces can enhance our understanding of free will. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does Galen Strawson argue regarding free will and determinism?

<p>Our actions are a reflection of who we are, complicating the notion of responsibility. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Flashcards

Cosmological Argument

An argument for the existence of God(s) based on the nature of the universe.

Aquinas' Cosmological Argument

Aquinas' version of the cosmological argument, focusing on motion, efficient causation, and contingency.

Prime Mover

The first cause of motion in the universe (according to Aquinas).

Necessary Cause

A cause sufficient to explain what occurred with no prior cause.

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Contingent Being

A being that could have failed to exist, meaning it's existence isn't necessarily assured

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Brute Fact Objection

The universe's existence may be inherent; it doesn't require a cause.

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Self-Caused Universe Objection

The universe could cause itself to exist, violating the principle of sufficient reason.

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First Cause Problem

If everything needs a cause, then God needs a cause, implying a chain without a start.

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Principle of Sufficient Reason

Everything has a reason or explanation for its existence.

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Teleological Argument

Argument for God's existence that uses design in nature as evidence.

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Paley's Argument

Analogy: a watch needs a watchmaker, thus nature needs a designer (God).

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Logical Problem of Evil

Argues that a God who is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnibenevolent cannot exist if evil exists.

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Natural Evil

Evils that occur naturally, like earthquakes or diseases.

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Moral Evil

Evils resulting from human actions or choices.

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Tri-partite view of God

Describes God's existence as possessing three perfections (e.g., omniscience, omnipotence, and omnibenevolence).

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Open Theism

A theistic viewpoint denying one or more traditional attributes of God (omnipotence, omniscience, or omnibenevolence).

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Soul-Making Defense

A theistic argument suggesting that the world's suffering is part of a beneficial process for moral development and ultimately draws us closer to God.

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Free Will Defense

A theistic argument positing that evil arises from humans and other creatures' freedom to make choices. This highlights the tension between a free will from God and the possibility of evil that arises from these choices.

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Evidential Argument from Evil

An argument against the existence of God, presenting the inconsistency of suffering and a benevolent deity.

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Cartesian Dualism

A philosophy claiming the mind and body are distinct substances, implying a separation between the mental and physical worlds.

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Property Dualism

The idea that mental properties are distinct from physical properties yet exist within the same substance.

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Behaviorism

A viewpoint that mental states are simply behavioural dispositions.

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Identity Theory

A theory claiming that mental states are identical to neuro-physical states of the brain.

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Multiple Realizability

The idea that mental states can be realized in different physical ways, meaning the same mental state can exist with different physical structures.

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Turing Test

A test for artificial intelligence where a machine is considered intelligent if it can carry on a conversation indistinguishable from a human's.

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Chinese Room Argument

A thought experiment challenging the claim that a computer can truly understand language, arguing that following rules to manipulate symbols doesn't equate to understanding.

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What is it like to be a bat?

This question highlights the subjective nature of consciousness - we can never truly know what it's like to experience the world from another being's perspective.

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Qualia

The subjective, qualitative character of conscious experience - the 'what it's like' of feeling a sensation.

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Inverted Spectrum Problem

The idea that two people could have identical physical processes but experience different qualia, such as seeing colors as inverted compared to each other.

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Knowledge Argument

An argument against physicalism that suggests there are non-physical aspects to consciousness that cannot be explained solely by physical processes.

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Zombies

A hypothetical being that behaves exactly like a human but lacks any subjective conscious experience or qualia.

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Determinism vs. Fatalism

Determinism: The past and laws of nature completely determine the future. Fatalism: Everything that happens is fated to happen, predetermined.

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Easy, Medium, and Premium Free Will

Easy: No coercion, you do what you want. Medium: You have alternative possibilities. Premium: Determinism is false, you are the ultimate cause of your actions.

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Source vs. Leeway Freedom

Leeway: Ability to do otherwise, having options. Source: Ability to act on your own desires, having control over your wants.

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Consequence Argument

If determinism is true, then fatalism is also true.

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Frankfurt's Response

Frankfurt argues that alternative possibilities are not required for freedom, we need source freedom (control over our desires).

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Neuro-Science Argument Against Free Will

Libet's experiments suggest that brain activity precedes conscious intention, challenging the idea of free will.

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Al Mele's Response to Libet Cases

Al Mele argues that Libet's experiments only focus on minor decisions. We need a better model for free will in complex situations.

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Robin Repko's Response to Libet Cases

Repko believes that Brain Computer Interfaces (BCIs) are not threatening free will but rather offer opportunities for communication and understanding.

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Study Notes

Cosmological Argument

  • Aquinas offered three versions of the cosmological argument: motion, efficient causation, and contingency.
  • Aquinas' cosmological argument relies on the principle of sufficient reason.
  • Objections to the argument include the idea that an uncaused God is no more explanatory than the universe itself.
  • Objections also contend that God causing the universe to exist and God's existence itself implies a self-causing universe, which violates the principle of sufficient reason.

Design Argument

  • Paley's design argument compares the universe to a watch.
  • The argument suggests order, complexity, and purpose in the universe, implying a designer.
  • Objections include comparing universes with other universes instead of machines , problems with natural selection, and incompleteness in the design.

Logical Problem of Evil

  • The logical problem of evil argues that God's existence is incompatible with the existence of evil in the world if God is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnibenevolent.

Evidential Argument from Evil

  • The evidential argument posits that the amount and type of evil in the world make God's existence improbable.
  • The argument focuses on the degree and kind of evil, not whether it's logically compatible with God's existence.

Responses to the Problem of Evil

  • Theists offer various responses to the problem of evil.
  • Theodicy attempts to reconcile God's goodness with the existence of evil.
  • Possible solutions include change our account of God, denying the existence of evil, reasons for evil, and best of all possible worlds

Differences between Natural and Moral Evil

  • Natural evil includes natural disasters, disease, and suffering.
  • Moral evil encompasses actions caused by human choices and moral failings.

The Tri-Partite View of God

  • God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-good.

Open Theism

  • An open theist posits that God lacks complete knowledge or control over the future actions of free beings, thereby rejecting the tri-partite view of God.

Soul-Making and Free Will Defense

  • Soul-making argues that suffering facilitates character building.
  • The free will defense posits that allowing free will necessitates the possibility of bad choices, which in turn inevitably leads to evil.

Theories of Mind

  • Cartesian Dualism posits minds and bodies as distinct substances.
  • Property dualism attributes mental properties to physical events.
  • Idealism affirms that only minds exist.
  • Behaviorism equates mental states with behavioral dispositions.
  • Identity theory equates mental events with physical brain states.
  • Functionalism defines mental states in terms of causal relationships.

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Description

This quiz covers key philosophical arguments for the existence of God, including Aquinas' cosmological argument, Paley's design argument, and the logical problem of evil. Test your understanding of these intricate concepts and the objections raised against them.

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