(no subject)
hey people. i had to write a paper on St. Thomas Aquinas and his arguments for the existence of God. so.. here it is:
St. Thomas Aquinas was born of a high-class family, and started his education at an early age. He studied in many places including Naples and France. He had many famous writings, the greatest of which was called the Summa. Part I of the Summa presented his views on the proofof the existence of God.
Aquinas’s first argument is that of motion. He states that motion is the change from being potentially in motion to being actually in motion. He states that, “nothing can be reduced from potentiality to actuality, except by something in a state of actuality,” meaning that in order for something to move, it must be moved by something that is already in motion. The mover of the last object, however, must also have a mover, and so on. Therefore, there must be an original mover. God is the original mover.
His second argument is that of efficient cause. This argument states that everything is the effect of something else, and must have something to cause it. It is impossible for something to be the cause of itself. There is an order
of efficient causes, which cannot go on forever, because if it did then that would mean that there was no original cause. There must be an original cause, and that is God.
Aquinas’s third argument is that of possibility and necessity. In nature, things are possible to be, and possible not to be. These cannot always exist, because if something is possible not to be, it at some point will not exist. This would mean that at some point there was nothing in existence; if that were true, there would be nothing in existence now. For something to exist, it is necessary for something else to exist first; everything necessary thing is caused by another existing thing. God is the existence that had his own necessity and caused other existing necessities.
His fourth argument is that every being is more or less good, true and noble than something else. This means that they are being compared to the maximum. Something that is the maximum of perfection is the cause of everything else and their perfections. God is the perfect being.
His fifth argument is that of governance. Beings which lack intelligence act to reach and end, or a result. They cannot reach this end on their own, but must have a being that is intelligent to direct them there. God is the intelligent being that directs everything to its result.
St. Thomas Aquinas used facts of nature to prove that God exists. Everyone knows motion, efficient cause, possibility and necessity, perfection, and intelligence to be real. Aquinas simply stated that there must be an origin for all of these things. It makes sense that God is the origin because he does not need a cause; He is all-powerful and causes everything else.
tell me what you think, i thought he was pretty smart.
St. Thomas Aquinas was born of a high-class family, and started his education at an early age. He studied in many places including Naples and France. He had many famous writings, the greatest of which was called the Summa. Part I of the Summa presented his views on the proofof the existence of God.
Aquinas’s first argument is that of motion. He states that motion is the change from being potentially in motion to being actually in motion. He states that, “nothing can be reduced from potentiality to actuality, except by something in a state of actuality,” meaning that in order for something to move, it must be moved by something that is already in motion. The mover of the last object, however, must also have a mover, and so on. Therefore, there must be an original mover. God is the original mover.
His second argument is that of efficient cause. This argument states that everything is the effect of something else, and must have something to cause it. It is impossible for something to be the cause of itself. There is an order
of efficient causes, which cannot go on forever, because if it did then that would mean that there was no original cause. There must be an original cause, and that is God.
Aquinas’s third argument is that of possibility and necessity. In nature, things are possible to be, and possible not to be. These cannot always exist, because if something is possible not to be, it at some point will not exist. This would mean that at some point there was nothing in existence; if that were true, there would be nothing in existence now. For something to exist, it is necessary for something else to exist first; everything necessary thing is caused by another existing thing. God is the existence that had his own necessity and caused other existing necessities.
His fourth argument is that every being is more or less good, true and noble than something else. This means that they are being compared to the maximum. Something that is the maximum of perfection is the cause of everything else and their perfections. God is the perfect being.
His fifth argument is that of governance. Beings which lack intelligence act to reach and end, or a result. They cannot reach this end on their own, but must have a being that is intelligent to direct them there. God is the intelligent being that directs everything to its result.
St. Thomas Aquinas used facts of nature to prove that God exists. Everyone knows motion, efficient cause, possibility and necessity, perfection, and intelligence to be real. Aquinas simply stated that there must be an origin for all of these things. It makes sense that God is the origin because he does not need a cause; He is all-powerful and causes everything else.
tell me what you think, i thought he was pretty smart.