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

question 6

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.
-Paley admits that his argument could support the idea of self-supporting nature in need of no supernatural creature.

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Definitions:

Assumption of Risk

A legal doctrine stating that an individual knowingly and voluntarily assumes the risk of an activity, thereby relieving another party from liability for harm caused during the activity.

Assumption of the Risk

A defense in tort law where the plaintiff is considered to have voluntarily assumed the risks of a known hazard, diminishing the defendant's liability.

Contributory Negligence

A defense to negligence whereby the defendant can escape all liability by proving that the plaintiff failed to act in a way that would have protected him or her from an unreasonable risk of harm and that the plaintiff’s negligent behavior contributed in some way to the plaintiff’s accident.

Defendants Liability

The legal obligation of a defendant in a lawsuit to compensate for harm caused to the plaintiff as determined by a court judgment or settlement.