PHIL 001 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Rigveda, Cosmological Argument, Multiple Realizability
1 May 2018
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God - Design
PHILOSOPHY 001 – APRIL 28,2018
Outline
- The Existence of God
- Arguments for the Existence of God
- Which God?
- The Cosmological Argument
- The Design Argument
Clicker Questions
Understanding of Functionalism
According to Functionalism, Mental States…
1. Are identical to Brain States
2. Have a distinctive phenomenal character
3. Can only function in a self-conscious being
4. Are multiply realizable
Today
We leave behind the question of how out mind fits in the world but we turn out attention to
another kind of mind often conceived as the most perfect: the mind of God
Why should philosophy (and you) care about God?
- Religious beliefs, usually centered around the existence of God, continue to exercise
great influence on human behavior
- The existence of God usually plats a major role on how many of us answer the Big
Questions which are also the province of Philosophy
Isn’t the existence of God established by Faith?
Many claim to believe in God as a matter of Faith that is, without any evidence or justification is
usually a terrible idea and it goes against what philosophy stands for
This is why…
Philosophers have been looking for compelling rational arguments for the existence of God
From the scripture
1. The scripture (Bible, Qur’an, Rig Veda, Book of Mormon, etc.….) is the divinely word of
God
2. God doesn’t lie
3. The scripture says that God exists
4. Therefore, God exists
Problem: it begs the question
It already assumes the existence of God (in premise 1) to prove that God exists
Notice
This is not to claim that the scripture is not the word of God
But one cannot use this fact, even if true, to prove that God exists
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
God - Design
PHILOSOPHY 001 – APRIL 28,2018
Scripture and History
What about the proofs of the historical claims in the Scripture?
- Historical and archeological evidence of dates and places, battles, etc
Problem: what could these poofs say about the religious claims
- Claims about gods, spirits, morality, miracles, afterlife, etc…
Why would historical accuracy about those events prove anything about theological, moral, and
philosophical matters?
Better arguments
1. Intellectual Argument: provide evidence for the existence of God
2. Pragmatic Argument: provide reasons for the usefulness of belief in God
Many ideas of God…
The following discussion is about the idea of God as found in the main western monotheistic
religions: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim
- which share not just the same idea of God, but the very same God
But the discussion is likely to apply to many other religions
Two features of the Judeo-Christian-Islamic God
1. A Personal God
- a loving God, who feels emotions, cares about his creation, answers prayers, and is worth
of worship and piety
2. A Perfect God
- With special properties (the theological/philosophical idea of God)
Omni-God
Divine Attributes
1. Omni-potence, all powerful
2. Omni-Science, all knowing
3. Omni-benevolence: perfectly good
Proofs of the existence of God are supposed to prove the existence of this Omni-God
Three Intellectual Arguments
1. Cosmological argument
- God as a creator
2. Design/Teleological argument
- God as a designer
3. Ontological argument
- God as the perfect being
The Intuitive Idea
When we look for explanation of what happens, we look for prior causes.
As we follow the chains of causation back in time, we reach the point where we wonder:
How did the Cosmos come into existence?
Answer: God as the Creator – as the uncaused cause
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
According to functionalism, mental states : are identical to brain states, have a distinctive phenomenal character, can only function in a self-conscious being, are multiply realizable. We leave behind the question of how out mind fits in the world but we turn out attention to another kind of mind often conceived as the most perfect: the mind of god. Religious beliefs, usually centered around the existence of god, continue to exercise great influence on human behavior. The existence of god usually plats a major role on how many of us answer the big. Questions which are also the province of philosophy. Many claim to believe in god as a matter of faith that is, without any evidence or justification is usually a terrible idea and it goes against what philosophy stands for. Philosophers have been looking for compelling rational arguments for the existence of god.
