In This Article Edwards Attacks the Cosmological Argument, Specifically Aquinas's

question 14

True/False

In this article Edwards attacks the cosmological argument, specifically Aquinas's causal and contingency versions, holding that the argument fails at several points. Against the causal argument, he argues that the premise asserting the impossibility of an infinite series is false. Even if the argument were sound, he says, it would not prove the existence of a single first cause because a plurality of causes cannot be ruled out. Furthermore, the argument is not helped by the theist's distinction between causes that bring something into existence (causes in fieri) and causes that sustain something in existence (causes in esse). Some defend the causal argument by insisting that even if there were an infinite series of causes, there still must be an ultimate cause of the series as a whole. Edwards counters that such notions rest on the "erroneous assumption that the series is something over and above the members of which it is composed." Against the contingency argument, Edwards maintains that to explain a contingent phenomenon, we do not need to posit a necessary being and that those who make such a demand beg the question at issue.
-Edwards believes that if you reject the notion of a supernatural first cause, you are committed to the view that there is a natural first cause.

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Definitions:

Repression

A defense mechanism where unpleasant thoughts, memories, or desires are unconsciously excluded from conscious thought.

Projection

A defense mechanism in which an individual attributes their own unacceptable thoughts, feelings, and motives to another person.

Denial

A defense mechanism where a person refuses to accept reality or facts, blocking external events from awareness.

Personality

Personality encompasses the unique patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that make up an individual's character, influencing how they perceive the world and interact with others.