is the kalam cosmological argument sound

They literally do not exist. For this reason, the actual infinite cannot exist in reality. Some theists approach me with their Kalam Cosmological argument to justify why they believe in Gawd. The ancient kalam cosmological argument maintains that the series of past events is finite and that therefore the universe began to exist. This is my opponent's mistake. “Did the Universe have a Beginning?” http://arxiv.org.... [2] For a fuller critique of this model see: “The Ultimate Question of Origins”, http://www.reasonablefaith.org.... Subheading, “Quantum Gravity Models”. Two recent scientific discoveries have yielded plausible prima facie … My opponent's examples above clearly demonstrate my point. Rather, it had a beginning. Now imagine that you want to give your friend some marbles because he doesn’t have any. 148. 3. A cosmological argument, in natural theology, is an argument which claims that the existence of God can be inferred from facts concerning causation, explanation, change, motion, contingency, dependency, or finitude with respect to the universe or some totality of objects. The “past” does not exist, and the “future” does not exist. Confusingly, the medieval topic was called "the Kalam cosmological argument" in the 1950s, and Craig has apparently borrowed the term from there. Therefore, the number of past events must be finite. Because an actually infinite number of things cannot exist, the universe cannot be eternal. Not at all. It's 5, because 10 split up evenly into two groups has 5 in each. (i) He claims that length contraction commits us to relative time. His remarks seem a bit confused to me. ... One of the most sound arguments for the existence of God 1. The universe began to exist. We must simply talk about the present hour, present minute, etc. 1): 1. Again, on this model, there is no first instant of the existence of the universe, but there is a beginning nonetheless. Also, Pro has not shown how Earth's motion through the radiation demonstrates any preferred reference frame temporally. I can admit when I'm ignorant but, I'll never be proud of it and I'll sometimes try to do something about it. If A-Theory is true and the universe has a finite past, it would not follow that the universe came into being, or violates ex nihilo nihil fit. I just attached all readings A-E j. ust incase I am not around when you pick a question and you can just get started right away. Because of its historic roots in medieval Islamic theology, I christened the argument “the kalam cosmological argument” (“ kalam ” is the Arabic word for medieval theology). If they are, then the Kalam cosmological argument provides sufficient reason to conclude that God is the cause for the beginning of the existence of the universe. With regard to the Hartle-Hawking model specifically, I simply disagree that it implies the eternality of space: Space is represented by the horizontal direction, and it gets smaller and smaller as one goes back in time. The Kalam cosmological argument, in addition to not being a good argument in general, isn't an argument for a god. Craig’s Kalam Cosmological Argument is a valid or well-constructed argument; but, it isn’t sound – it isn’t true. The original Kalam cosmological argument was developed by Islamic scholars in medieval times based on the Aristotelian “prime mover” idea. Even though we do not know what happened during the first split second after the Big Bang, nonetheless we do know that the universe had a beginning. Thus, the Neo-Lorentzian interpretation is not compatible with known science. Of course, over the years alternative models have been proposed to avert the Standard Model, but until my opponent raises a model as a potential way of restoring an eternal universe, I will not respond to it. Intervals of time do not have ontological existence under Presentism, as any interval from “now” to the “future”, or “now” to the “past” wouldn't exist. – The Kalam Cosmological Argument The Kalam argument tries to show that the universe is not eternal, that it have to have a beginning. First, this does not undermine premise (2), for although there are an infinite number of events of decreasing length, you still must get to the first hour, the first second, the first microsecond, or what have you. On this definition, we are not committed to thinking that, the ‘present’ is just an instant that takes up zero duration, It seems to me that I am not the one who has misunderstood McTaggart’s Paradox, but no matter. What keeps me from moving around my collection of marbles, to use my example? “Arrows of Time and the Beginning of the Universe” http://arxiv.org..., 19. With no specified first instant of the universe, we cannot even begin to claim the universe begins to exist. He says the “. (iii) I said Earman’s principles presuppose spacetime realism, not the relativity of time. Because this theory is based on the equations of GR, it does not predict that galaxies are being pushed apart from a central point, but rather that. The Kalam cosmological argument was originally put forth by a twelfth-century medieval Muslim philosopher from Persia (modern day Iran) by the name of Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali. Whatever begins to exist has a cause 2. There are only objects with the property of being present Thus, I deny (ii). His remarks seem a bit confused to me. Einsteinian and Minkowskian relativity, this is a red herring. Print. Print. But in the end, I believe my case for the soundness of the KCA remains strong, even in light of his criticisms. I published the material on the Kalam version separately as a book, and this became more widely known. Illinois: Crossway Books, 2001. The Kalam cosmological argument is a modern formulation of the cosmological argument for the existence of God. . Time and the Metaphysics of Relativity. The latter commits us to the existence of a 4D spacetime block. symmetry principles of Earman[11]. I’ll look at each in turn and see if they stand against my opponent’s objections. American contemporary philosopher, scholar and professor of philosophy at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan[12]. “Arrows of Time and the Beginning of the Universe”, [4] Ibid. - Alexander Vilenkin, "There is no reason to believe that our Universe came from a singularity, and this outdated idea should have died as soon as inflation was accepted." [2] For a fuller critique of this model see: “The Ultimate Question of Origins”, [3] Vilenkin, "Inflation is not Past Eternal", [4] Ibid. The problem with McTaggart’s Paradox is that it is based on a misunderstanding of the A-Theory of time. On the Lorentzian interpretation, length contraction is due to an object’s motion through absolute space. The main specificity of the Kalam is that it relies on the premise that the universe began to exist. My opponent claims that it is futile to argue that the universe did not begin to exist. 3. “Even though the spacetime has no boundary in the AG model, it does include a hyper surface on which the low-entropy (vacuum) boundary condition must be enforced by some mechanism. My opponent says “the ‘present’ is just an instant that takes up zero duration”. I showed that the singularity is logically impossible. My opponent is quite correct that the Standard Big Bang model needs some corrections. Lorenzian Relativity – this is the view that absolute space and absolute time do exist, and that time dilation and length contraction are due to objects' motion through absolute space. There are only two things which could be spaceless and timeless, and therefore only two things which could be a cause of the universe: abstract objects, such as a number, or unembodied minds. Emphasis mine. This does not necessarily mean a singularity -- that is, simply, a breakdown of physics." It was popularized in the western world by William Lane Craig in his book, The Kalām Cosmological Argument (1979). This debate either has an Elo score requirement or is to be voted on by a select panel of judges. Religion After God: A Review of “Progressive Atheism”, Five Questions for Supporters of Gender Transitioning, The Dogmas and Failure of Rational Atheism, What Science REALLY Says About the Soul (& Life After Death). I had argued that the Kalam Cosmological argument was sound in that the premises could scientifically verified, that the Big Bang Theory and Second Law of Thermodynamic clearly showed that the universe was caused. Take Craig’s formulation: P1: Whatever begins to exist had a cause. "Kalam" is a school of thought that tries to defend Islam intellectually against criticisms. [6] Michael Heller, Zbigniew Klimek, and Konrad Rudnicki, “Observational Foundations for Assumptions in Cosmology,” in Confrontation of Cosmological Theories with Observational Data, ed. Thus, the Neo-Lorentzian interpretation is not compatible with known science. The Ilm al-Kalam also known as Islamic natural theology attempts to justify the belief in God by constructing arguments for God’s existence. The voting period for this debate has ended. The Minkowskian view predicts time dilation and length contraction; both have been confirmed. The most scientifically feasible interpretation of this theory is the Minkowski space-time view[15]. My opponent also notes that the KCA is predicated upon an A-Theory of time. What is the Kalam cosmological argument for the existence of God? How many marbles do you have left? Finally, let’s consider (iv). Past, present, and future are all equally real. The argument from first cause (or the cosmological argument) states that the universe must have a cause, and that this cause is (the arguer's) God. So we must deny (i). “The key idea in having a beginning is past metrical finitude. Eternally inflating universe are an average in a state of cosmic expansion throughout their history, and therefore they cannot be past eternal. It's 5, because 10 split up evenly into two groups has 5 in each. You take away all the even numbered marbles and give them to your friend. If any argument is to be sound it must first meet at least three criterion. He raises four objections to the Neo-Lorentzian interpretation of SR. With regard to (i), I simply disagree. I thank my opponent for challenging me and engaging my arguments. 176. Again I would like to thank my opponent for his engaging criticisms, but I don’t think they undermine the plausibility of any premise of the KCA. (ii) LR is based on Maxwell’s Equations, so I would hope it doesn’t contradict them. We are never called upon to prove… It is the case that the contraction of our instruments cause us to get contradictory results as to when an event occurred, but that doesn’t affect time itself, it merely implies that our measurements are mistaken. Here infinity minus infinity equals 2. Many Worlds in One: The Search for Other Universes. I suggest my opponent looks more into this issue, because length contraction is not explained under a Neo-Lorerntizan framework. Here infinity minus infinity equals infinity. Lorenzian Relativity is compatible with the A-Theory of time. When an object becomes present, it does not exchange futurity for presentness. THE KALAM COSMOLOGICAL ARGUMENT (Written not by Curtis Hrischuk but by some other fellow) What follows is a short presentation of the Kalam Cosmological Argument for the existence of God. At this point, it seems that the answer to this question is probably yes. This theory, which was developed mainly between 1892 and 1906 by Lorentz and Poincaré, was based on the aether theory of Augustin-Jean Fresnel, (iii) I said Earman’s principles presuppose, [1] Vilenkin, Alexander. Also, the Neo-Lorentzian view cannot explain length contraction[10], the Minkowskian view can. Since Wikipedia has apparently become an authoritative source, I quote: “This theory, which was developed mainly between 1892 and 1906 by Lorentz and Poincaré, was based on the aether theory of Augustin-Jean Fresnel, Maxwell's equations and the electron theory of Rudolf Clausius.” [6]. ∞[1,2,3…n] - ∞[1,2,3…n] = 0 ∞[1,2,3…n] - ∞[2,4,6…n] = ∞[1,3,5…n] ∞[1,2,3…n] - ∞[2,3,4…n] = 1. If we delete the singularity at t=0, which is logically necessary, then there is no first state of the universe at any time in the past! But amazingly, current astronomical observations confirm the existence of such a reference frame: [2] Wong, Jack. [5] Craig, William Lane. But on the pure A-Theory, this view is false. What isn’t generally realized is that all three interpretations are empirically equivalent (though there are problems with Einsteinian relativity). So all in all, this argument is not sound, and other versions of kalam aren't sound either (for many of the same reasons listed here, but also others); there exists no formulation of any cosmological argument that successfully establishes the existence of a first cause or a creator. 188. This model proposes the universe beginning at the instant t=0 (with no intervals of time existing). Why could it not have been formed by a 'successive addition' that did, . (iv) He’s correct, I don’t know how I’m arguing against my position. It cannot both be true that each "now" moment both: rests on Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity. This means, that if the universe began to exist under A-Theory, then there had to have been a certain “present” instant with no duration which was also the first instant of the universe with no duration. The key idea in having a beginning is past metrical finitude. Today this argument, largely forgotten since the time of Kant, is once again back at center stage. Fourth, I'm thankful for the kalam because it is a sound argument for the existence of God. Finally, the paper will investigate and assess the implications of the theory to the modern church. 2. - Stephen Hawking[1], "There are instantaneous causal relations (as is shown to be the case in the actual universe by the Bell-Aspect experiments)" -, Quentin Persifor Smith. keywords: Actual infinite, Yishai Cohen, Grim Reaper paradox, kalam cosmological argument, Wes Morriston, potential infinite . I defend this claim below. 188. If there was a t=0, then one could appeal to Supertasks to claim there was a first state. But 10 in 0 groups? No-boundary proposals do not involve absolute beginnings. McTaggart's Paradox[14] shows that each "now" moment has all three classical A-Properties, because it is the present, it is the past to the future, and the future to the past. Howard Sobel on the Kalam Cosmological Argument”, Arguments for a finite past only demonstrate, at best, (1) not (2). – The Kalam Cosmological Argument The Kalam argument tries to show that the universe is not eternal, that it have to have a beginning. cosmological argument have at least succeeded in providing undercutting defeaters of its premises and that therefore the argument, even if sound, is not successful in proving God’s existence If this is in fact the issue, then the question will be the comparative warrant enjoyed by the But if the universe is eternal in the past, then there have been an actually infinite number of events in the history of the universe prior to today. Eternally inflating universe are an average in a state of cosmic expansion throughout their history, and therefore they, The problem with this argument is that it assumes that having a. - William Lane Craig[13]. Gorenstein, and R. A. Muller, “Detection of Anisotropy in the Cosmic Blackbody Radiation,” Physical Review Letters 39 (1977): 899. [3] Craig, William Lane. – this is the view that absolute space and absolute time do exist, and that time dilation and length contraction are due to objects' motion through absolute space. Here is Dr. Craig's definition: Pro either needs to fill the variable t in with a time, or provide a different definition. 1. WLG is a rationalist, like most evangelical Christian apologists, which is why I find his arguments such as the Kalam Cosmological Argument somewhat meaningless. A second type of cosmological argument, contending for a first orbeginning cause of the universe, has a venerable history, especiallyin the Islamic mutakalliman tradition. The kalam cosmological argument (KCA) may be summarized as follows: 1. kalam. However, I like to start with the Kalam for two reasons (before moving to Leibniz): 1- The Kalam is easier to understand than the Leibnizian Cosmological Argument. The premises must be true. Li 10 in 1 group has 10. I am in favor of the argument but would love to discuss it as well. For good or for ill, premise (2) has been the main focus of our debate. Reviews “The two volumes of Copan's The Kalam Cosmological Argument, without a doubt, constitute an excellent collection of essays that for years to come will be the place to start for those interested in a profound analysis of the problems and merits of the Kalam cosmological argument.”– Reading Religion “The best possible collection on the kalam cosmological argument one could wish for. However, without a t=0, then a first state is impossible. I whole-heartily agree. On the A-Theory, each present event is not past relative to future events or future relative to past events, because there, He goes on to argue that Earman’s principles actually. “No End of Universe-Creation Theories”, [3] Vilenkin, Alexander. The Kalam cosmological argument is rooted in Islamic theologians of the Ilm al-Kalam tradition. The kalam cosmological argument doesn’t prove, by itself, that the First Cause is the God of the Bible. Third, this objection is undermined by my argument against actual infinities. I do not feel that my opponent has dealt with Craig’s response. Finally, let’s consider (iv). Concerning (ii), how in the world does a Neo-Lorentzian interpretation violate Maxwell’s equations? When it comes to questions about the origin of the universe the default position can only be atheism. Give them to your friend some marbles because he doesn ’ t think they ’ re rendered untenable other... Be voted on by a 'successive addition ' that did, perspicuously premises! Requires all quantum gravity models must require a singularity -- that is just an instant that takes up zero.. Are relative to inertial frames, but not on Lorentzian Relativity ( LR ) is logic! 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