The Cosmological Argument from Plato to Leibniz
Digital Logos Edition
Overview
Even as interest in the cosmological argument for God’s existence has grown amongst philosophers of religion, few contemporary treatments deal with it fairly and consistently. In this survey of the history of the cosmological proof, William Lane Craig summarizes the thought of the 13 most prominent proponents of the argument. His even-handed analysis is the most comprehensive to date, and alleviates the errors found in other treatments.
For more works by Craig, see the Select Works of William Lane Craig (4 vols.).
Key Features
- Historical approach to an important philosophical argument for God’s existence
- Addresses items left unmentioned by original philosophers
- Explains implications from this study for witness in today’s world
Contents
- Preface
- Aristotle
- Arabic Theologians and Philosophers
- Al-Kindi
- Al-Farabi
- Ibn Sina
- Al-Ghazali
- Ibn Rushd
- Jewish Philosophers of Religion
- Saadia
- Maimonides
- Thomas Aquinas
- John Duns Scotus
- Benedict De Spinoza
- G.W.F. Leibniz
- A Typology of Cosmological Arguments
Top Highlights
“R. L. Sturch’s unpublished Oxford doctoral thesis ‘The Cosmological Argument’.” (Page ix)
“(1) those that maintain the impossibility of an infinite temporal regress” (Page 282)
“what we know we come to know only through sense data.13 Therefore” (Page 160)
“Why is the kettle boiling?’, I might respond by describing the action of the heat from the fire in causing the water molecules to vibrate faster and faster until they escape in the form of steam—or I might respond that the kettle is boiling because my wife is preparing me a cup of tea. Both provide a sufficient reason: one in terms of efficient causality, the other in terms of final causality.” (Page 261)
“But since it is unbegotten, it must also be indestructible.” (Page 6)
About William Lane Craig
William Lane Craig (b. 1949) is research professor of philosophy at Talbot School of Theology. A highly-regarded apologist and philosopher, Craig has written numerous books including Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics and Creation out of Nothing: A Biblical, Philosophical, and Scientific Exploration. He also contributed to Four Views on Divine Providence and Five Views on Apologetics.