Aquinas on the Existence of God - 608 Words

I found Aquinas’ theory to prove the existence of God very interesting one. It is easy to understand and it is logical. Summa Theologiae was one of the best works of Aquinas. St. Thomas was a writer too and wrote many commentaries on Aristotle and other theological and philosophical topics. Aquinas categorized his arguments to prove the existence of god into five ways. The first way is the argument from motion. There are many things which are moving, it is not that all of a sudden everything started moving. The first mover caused the others to move and so on. This motion cannot be infinity because there would be no first mover then. Therefore, the first move is caused by what is said to be god. The second way is argument from efficient cause. The first efficient cause is god which led to other causes. It is not possible that everything exists by itself. In this argument also, efficient causes cannot go to infinity. The third way is the argument from possibility and necessity. Either things exist or they don’t. If they don’t exist, nothing would have existed by now. There must exist something the existence of which is necessary which caused the others to exist that is God. Others beings are dependent on each other while God is independent. The fourth way is argument from gradation of being. The fifth way is argument from design. All natural things act for an end to achieve some goal. It is not possible that they are doing these things by themselves. They are directed byShow MoreRelatedThomas Aquinas And The Existence Of God849 Words   |  4 Pagestimes, the existence of God. Each philosopher has a varyingly different theory on how whether in fact God does exist, or that he does not exist. Evidently, God’s existence has not been settled and will continue to be deliberated until humans no longer exist, however, there are philosophers who are more successful at arguing for God’s existence than other theories do. Thomas Aquinas, a renowned philosopher and regarded as one of the greatest Christian theologians, wrote about God’s existence which isRead MoreThe Existence Of God By Thomas Aquinas2218 Words   |  9 PagesKaitlyn Yinger 10-8-14 Robert Evans Intro to Philosophy The Existence of God Thomas Aquinas was a theologian that was a priest in the 1200’s and wanted to prove that God existed. He created many books and articles in his lifetime about God and things with the catholic religion, but, his more famous book Summa Thelogia gave five arguments that God exists in Articles II and III they are explained in detail. Below is my understanding of what he was saying the works of two other man that hadRead MoreThe Existence Of God Through Aquinas Views1949 Words   |  8 PagesIn this paper I am going to discuss the existence of God through Aquinas’ views, with the the argumentation he presents. Following the process of proving the existence of God through Aquinas’ views, I will present an objection or two to his argument. Aquinas’ views were highly influenced upon Aristotle’s prime mover. The problem that is trying to be solved is the existence of God. Aquinas most famous for proving the actuality of God is his argument, The Five Ways of the Summa Theologiae. HoweverRead MoreEssay on Anselm and Aquinas: on the Existence of God1029 Words   |  5 PagesDoes God exist? That question has been asked by people for centuries. Christians, Jews, and Muslims would all say that God exists. They would claim that He is the creator of all things and is of a higher being than man is. Others would claim either that God does not exist or that God is not what the Christians, Jews, and Muslims say He is. Both Anselm and Aquinas address this question: Anselm in his Proslogion and Aquinas in his Summa Theologica. The opinions of Anselm and Aquinas as toRead MoreSt. Thomas Aquinas On The Existence Of God1338 Words   |  6 Pagesphilosophers shifted their focus primarily to proving the existence of God, as well as other religious tenets they held. Two Saints of the Catholic Church, St. Anselm and St. Thomas Aquinas, developed their own respective proofs for the existence of God. These proofs have gained fame over the s ubsequent centuries and still face debate and comparison today. Although both St. Anselm and St. Thomas Aquinas both offer proofs for the existence of God, the proofs differ drastically due to the distinct argumentativeRead MoreSt. Thomas Aquinas On The Existence Of God1048 Words   |  5 PagesSt. Thomas Aquinas is considered to be one of the greatest minds of the western world as well as one of the greatest theologians. In his work Summa Theologica, which he revised many times over the course of his life, he explored the existence of God, and there are essentially five ways in which St. Thomas Aquinas argues the existence of God. The first way is the argument from change, the second way is the argument from causation, the third argument is the argument from possibility and necessity,Read MoreAquinas Arguments for the Existence of God Essay1274 Words   |  6 PagesAquinas Arguments for the Existence of God In Summa Theologica, Question 2, Article 3, Aquinas attempts to prove the existence of God. He begins with two objections, which will not be addressed here, and continues on to state five arguments for the existence of God. I intend to show that Aquinas first three arguments are unsound from a scientific standpoint, through support of the Big Bang theory of the creation of the universe. In the first and second argumentsRead MoreAquinas Five Proofs for the Existence of God1933 Words   |  8 Pagesknowledge. For Saint Thomas Aquinas, his passion involved the scientific reasoning of God. The existence, simplicity and will of God are simply a few topics which Aquinas explores in the Summa Theologica. Through arguments entailing these particular topics, Aquinas forms an argument that God has the ability of knowing and willing this particular world of contingent beings. The contrasting nature of necessary beings and contingent beings is at the heart of this debate. Aquinas sets up this argumentRead MoreComparing Aquinas And Descartes Arguments For The Existence Of God766 Words   |  4 PagesAquinas and Descartes both have arguments for the existence of God, with some similarities and a multitude of differences. Descartes presents two major premises in his argument with his degrees of reality principle and his casual adequacy principle. It is possible for Descartes to be influenced by Aquinas, but the arguments for the same thing differ greatly that even if any inspiration Descartes could have pulled from Aquinas work is minimal, to say the least. Comparing Aquinas and Descartes theyRead MoreThomas Aquinas And His Views On The Existence Of God1527 Words   |  7 PagesThomas Aquinas was a famous philosopher and theologian from the 1200’s who dedicated his life to praising and explaining the existence of a higher being, God. Aquinas presents his evidence for the existence of a higher being through five distinct ways in the Summa Theologica. These ways give reason for God’s existence through the cause, existence and final cause of different events and objects. The two first ways made by Aquinas are the most influential sources I found that provide good evidence