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Charleta Mason
The Medieval World
Professor Jay Reuscher
April 4, 00
Help with essay on St. Thomas Aquinas
St Thomas Aquinas Five Proofs of God's Existence
In this paper, I will discuss the method St. Thomas Aquinas uses to prove God's existence.In the Summa Theologica St. Thomas Aquinas asserts that God must be proven only by deduction according to human observations and he offers five proofs of God's existence.These proofs were knows as the "Five Ways".My paper will have five main headings, which will discuss the five proofs offered by Thomas Aquinas
I. The argument of motion.
II. Nature of efficient cause.
III. Possibility and Necessity.
IV. Gradation of things.
V. Governance.
Proof I.
St. Thomas Aquinas offers the argument of motion as the first proof of God's existence.He calls it the most obvious way.Motion is the changing state of things going from ignorance to knowledge.Whatever is in motion Aquinas states, is moved by something else.So it is impossible that anything should be both mover and moved.By this, Aquinas means that nothing can move itself.Therefore if something is in motion, it must have been put in motion by something else, which must have been put in motion by yet another thing, and so on.However, this cannot go on to infinity because then there would never have been a first mover and consequently, no subsequent movers.It is impossible for a second movers to move except when moved by the first mover, just as a stick does not move anything except when moved by a hand.This leads the reader to the conclusion that there is a first mover which is not moved by anything, and the first mover is what we understand to be God.There are three key elements to the first way.
1. Nothing can move itself.
. If every object in motion had a mover, then the first object in motion needed a mover.
. This first mover is the Unmoved Mover, called God.
However, in my opinion, the criticism offered to this point of view is that human capacity is not nearly great enough to completely understand the evolution of movement.
Proof II.
Saint Thomas Aquinas' second proof of God's existence is based on the nature of efficient causation.It states that God is the uncaused cause.Causation is "making to be" which means that the cause makes there be a result.Efficient causation however, is the production of the result. Efficient causes it is not possible to go on to infinity, because in all efficient causes following in a sequential order, the first is the cause of the intermediate cause, and the intermediate is the cause of the ultimate cause, whether the intermediate cause is several, or only one.Now to take away the cause is to take away the effect.Therefore, if there is no first cause among efficient causes, there will be no ultimate cause.But if in efficient causes it is possible to go on to infinity, there will be no first efficient cause; neither will there be an ultimate effect, nor any intermediate efficient causes, all of which is plainly false.Therefore it is necessary to admit a first efficient cause, to which everyone gives the name of God.
This Way deals with the issue of existence.Aquinas concluded that common sense observation tells us that no object creates itself.In other words, some previous object had to create it.Aquinas believed that ultimately there must have been an UNCAUSED FIRST CAUSE (GOD) who began the chain of existence for all things.The key elements to this theory are
1. There exist things that are caused (created) by other things.
. Nothing can be the cause of itself (nothing can create itself.)
. There cannot be an endless string of objects causing other objects to exist.
4. Therefore, there must be an uncaused first cause called God.
It is my opinion that the same criticism can be offered for the second proof as I stated for the first.It can be shown through contemporary theory and models how everything was initially moved, again going back to the evolution.However, the reader must ask who is to say God started the first move?Could be there is an intermediate force which may have caused it?, Or is what we have today simply a product of natural evolution?
Proof III.
The third proof is taken from possibility and necessity.St. Thomas Aquinas believed that the existence of contingent beings would ultimately necessitate a being, which must exist for all of the contingent beings to exist.This being, called a necessary being, is what we call God.The key points are
1. Contingent beings are caused.
. Not every being can be contingent.
. There must exist a being, which is necessary to cause contingent beings.
4. This necessary being is God.
The criticism to this proof according to Aquinas, once the cycle has started, then it could be said that the role of God is done since things are all in motion and no more dependency on necessary beings.
Proof IV
The fourth way is taken from the gradation to be found in things.St. Thomas formulated this Way from a very interesting observation about the qualities of things.For example, one may say that of two paintings one is more beautiful than the other.So for these two objects, one has a greater degree of beauty than the next. This is referred to as degrees or gradation of a quality.From this fact Aquinas concluded that for any given quality (e.g. goodness, beauty, knowledge) there must be a perfect standard by which all such qualities are measured.These perfections are contained in God.
The criticism, which can be offered, is that does God then also set the standard for things, which are negative.According to Aquinas, a serial killer, or child molester's degree of evil would be measured against God.Also, a shoplifter's evil will be measured against God.Therefore, even if God does not have the evil of the murderer, he is comparable to the shoplifter, which be it minimal does consist of a certain level of evil. Therefore, God is evil.
Proof V.
The fifth way is taken from the governance of the world.The final Way that St. Thomas Aquinas speaks of has to do with the observable universe and the order of nature.According to Aquinas common sense tells us that the universe works in such a way, that one can conclude that is.In other words, all physical laws and the order of nature and life were designed and ordered by God.
The criticism, which can be applied to the fifth and final way, is that God is the creator of nature. Therefore, all negative aspects of nature and society are due to God.
In conclusion, it is my opinion that a review of the "Five Ways" or arguments St. Thomas Aquinas uses in his work The Summa Theologica to prove the existence of God's existence are subject to possible criticisms, objections and, or weak points as any with all arguments, however it is my opinion that St. Thomas is successful in presenting the reader with a successful argument for the existence of God.
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