You have been directed to read Thomas Aquinas’ “The Existence of God”(p.57) and “The God Delusion” by Richard Dawkins, (pp. 58-59).
Our task is to analyze and summarize each of the essays. Then bring out at least one point of view that supports the main idea of each essay. Give your explanation on how the point(s) reinforce the belief system of each writer. You may offer your opinion on each point of view, if you wish. Remember, we are practicing to appreciate the value of ambiguity. It is important to consider points of view other than our own, although we do not have to believe or follow them.
Thomas Aquinas pointed out the evidences of God existence. He manifest that everything are causes for a reason by someone,such as motion, everything involve force and motion, although, nothing move on its own but something cause it to move,which is god. Second, efficient cause is the cause of something that has put into plans in order to go into effect. Third is the existence, every necessary things are exist because of something or someone, which must be a creator that create the possibility.Forth is the degrees of goodness or perfection to all being, which is the trait of their being, goodness, and every other perfection that came from the creator. fifth is design, things in the world looks as they have been designed, so their must be a designer, God. I am a believer of God's existence. I believed that, there is a creator in order for everything to exist for purposes and for a reason. Nothing created on its own without the creator and designer.The argument of the God Delusion, Richard Dawkins point out the first three proofs according to Thomas Aquinas,the the answer to the question raised to another question of the omnipotence of God. If God can't change his mind, obviously he must not be omnipotent. Richard Dawkins's idea of the 'big band singularity' is the concept of as yet unknown. The world look as it designed, which sound like and ongoing argument.
ReplyDeleteAquinas argues that there are five ways to prove God's existence. These ways include motion, the nature of efficient cause, possibility and necessity and runs thus, the gradation to be found in things, and the governance of the world.
ReplyDeleteIn Dawkins essay, he argues these five ways stating that we need to give these ways a name, God, and that it is misleading and they can be looked at scientifically.
As an agnostic, I feel that there are things that you can not explain, and could be the result a higher being but I also believe that there are so many other things that have been proven through science.
Aquinas believed there are five ways to proof that God exists. First way is an object in motion has to be set into motion and the mover of the very first motion is God. Secondly to proof the existence of God is the cause and effect, to have an effect you must create a cause first. God was the Creator of the first cause. The third is similar to the other two in essences of; one had to be before the other in order for it to exist. That one is God. The fourth is based on perfection which is God. The last one is based on God’s creation.
ReplyDeleteDawkin’s response in The God Delusion states that Aquinas does not proof anything. He goes on to step by step pick apart Aquinas’s theory. Dawkin dismisses three out of the five ways by saying that “it leads us to regress, from which the only escape is God.” On the fourth argument Dawkin does not even consider Aquinas theory at all. The last of the views is on the Creation itself and this is where Dawkin brings in both the “big bang theory” and Charles Darwin.
As a believer in God and His Word I believe that this world was created by Him as Aquinas pointed out.
Thomas Aquinas’s ways of proving God exists are motion, efficient cause, possibility and necessity, gradation in all things, and governance of the world. His basic thesis is God exists because nothing creates itself. Aquinas uses simple science as proof.
ReplyDeleteRichard Dawkins uses a circular argument to disprove Aquinas’s first three proofs. Basically, he asks, can God create a mountain that He cannot move? Both answers could be used to disprove the existence of God. Therefore, his beliefs are justified.
The essay Thomas Aquinas wrote is about “The Existence of God”. He feels that there are five ways God can be in existence. The first way is by motion, the second way is cause, the third is necessity, the fourth way is what to be found in things, and the fifth is governance of the world. The point to Aquinas essay is that he tries to find fact of an existence of God. With all five reasons in detail of how and why things are the way they are.
ReplyDeleteRichard Dawkins writes about how he disagrees with Thomas Aquinas decisions of there being a God. He thinks his examples are not reasonable truths and that they make no sense. One example that Dawkins points out is when Aquinas talks about how there are smart people and not so smart so if there are 2 different then there must be a perfect of the two, this is the same as being smelly, so there must be an ultimate smelly existence. Dawkins also talks about design, where Charles Darwin “destruction of design” had others look at things differently then what Thomas Aquinas wrote.
In the essay, “The Existence of God,” the author presents five ways that the existence of God exists. Basically what Thomas Aquinas is trying to tell us is that there is some sort of entity or intelligence that makes things move. Without this force there would be no existence. You have to begin with something in order for things to move and change. It takes this one critical beginning existence to make this happen. This beginning force is what we call God, the beginning of the end. God is what ties all of us together into existence. I really found this to be an interesting way to look at what God means – a force to that puts things in motion.
ReplyDeleteIn the essay “The God Delusion,” Dawkins writes about infinite regress which means one question leads to another question and never really gives us an answer. Aquinas’s answer was God. The only argument Dawkins agrees with is the argument from design which leads us to evolution. We have proof of evolution through fossils and bones and this tells us we were designed and changed based on our surroundings which is called evolution.
This will always be a never ending battle and both sides have very valid points. It is up to you to decide which point of view you want to believe.
In Thomas Aquinas’s essay he believes that God’s existence can be proved in five ways. One point that I think fit’s the main idea of this essay is that we experience different situations throughout our life that we cannot explain. An example that would reinforce this point about this author’s belief system would be if a person drove off of a cliff due to a severe snow storm and was not found until five days later. That situation would make a person wonder how were they capable of surviving when they drove off a cliff in the middle of a snow storm and was out there for five days. With Richard Dawkins essay he believes that God is a delusion based on unjustified assumption. One point that I think fit’s the main idea of this essay is that different things happen because we make them happen and no one else does them for us. This point can be reinforced by thinking that God does not make thinks happen we make things happen ourselves.
ReplyDeleteThomas Aquinas discusses his reasoning for why there is a God. He talks about 5 different ways that the existence of God can be proved. He also mentions ideas such as everything is moved by something, the nature of efficient causes, possibility and necessity, gradation, and governance of the world. We see that Aquinas in each of these states the case of why God is involved. He gives some rather interesting points to think about which are the beliefs that something or someone must be the cause of all beings and that is person is God. He also talks about how all natural things are designed and directed to their end by God. Richard Dawkins on the other hand takes a different viewpoint by debunking all those viewpoints by coming up with arguments such as it is misleading to believe that God is a natural terminator and that there really is no evidence that God actually does any of those things. He also believes more in the idea of evolution and natural selection. My opinion is that I do agree with Thomas Aquinas and his viewpoints but I respectfully disagree with Richard Dawkins. While Dawkins does make some valid points to consider, I do question his thinking to some degree in generating his conclusions.
ReplyDeleteSara Hilton
ReplyDeleteThomas Aquinas said Gods existence could be proved by five points. Those five points are; motion, nature of the efficient cause, possibility and necessity, gradation to be found in things and governance of the world. Richard Dawkins refutes Aquinas ideas. Proclaiming the first three points can be boiled down into one. He then disregards the last two points and brings in evolution with Charles Darwin’s Theory. Ultimately it will be a never ending battle. One cannot prove or disprove the fact that there is a God. We are only human. However, personally I side with Aquinas I do believe that there is a God who rules over creation. We did not create ourselves so therefore there must be a creator. People say faith and belief in God is a silly notion. If you believe in evolution it takes faith to believe, does it not? So whatever you believe in is what you believe in. If I could not believe in God I would much rather side with an atheist then saying I believe we came from monkeys. No offense intended to anyone who believes in evolution. Getting back to the articles one cannot prove or disprove that there is or is not a God. One has the choice to believe what they want. That choice is left to the person.
Thomas Aquinas believed in God, he believed the existence of God could be proven. He believed that it all had to start somewhere and that somewhere was with GOD. Aquinas proof is that we are here today and that is because of GOD.
ReplyDeleteNow, Richard Dawkins who is a rationalist and an atheist does not believe. He believes in infinite regress. That we go back and back and back. That we cannot prove God exists so he does not exist.
Aquinas used five points to prove that God exists. Dawkins was a firm believer that if you can't see it, it's not real. I think that ea has its own valid point. I have gone to church since I was young and at times find my faith tested. But I am also in the medical field and see the validity of science. I think this is an issue that will continue til the end of time. It doesn't matter what people tell us, its what we choose to believe for ourselves.
ReplyDeleteThomas Aquinas tries to prove the existence of God in five different ways. The first was is motion. The second is nature of the efficient cause. The third is possibility and necessity. The fourth is gradation to be found in things. The fifth is governance of the world. Richard Dawkins, a rationalist and atheist, refutes Aquinas' proofs as based on an unwarranted assumption about the nature of God.
ReplyDeleteThomas Aquinas is saying that there are five ways to prove god’s existence. First everything put in motion has to be started with one mover, but cannot be the mover and the moved at the same time. Second is cause and effect. Nothing can cause itself, but in order to have an effect you need a cause. Third, in order for anything to exist there had to be that one thing that started all of existence. Fourth, graduation to be found in things, in order to have something great you have to have something perfect. In this case perfect is god. And the fifth, governance of the world, based on god’s creation, all beings have a purpose and when that purpose is achieved you come to the end.
ReplyDeleteRichard Dawkins is saying that he disagrees with Thomas Aquinas’s theory of proving god’s existence. In the essay he states that “all of the first three involve an infinite regress-the answer to a question raises a prior question, and so on ad infinitum”. This is absolutely true, because each way asks a question, repeats the question, and in the end each way circles back to the main question.
In the essay that Thomas Aquinas wrote, it talks about the existance of God. Thomas believes that there are five ways that God is present. Those five ways are:
ReplyDelete1. motion
2. cause/effect
3. necessity
4. being found in "things"
5. governing the world.
Richard Dawkins does not agree with Aquinas, and I believe that this is going to be a continuing issue, with people being able to make their own opinions on how God exists depending on numerous cultural beliefs.
Aquinas argues that there are five ways to prove God's existence. These ways include motion, the nature of efficient cause, possibility and necessity and runs thus, the gradation to be found in things, and the governance of the world. Richard Dawkins is saying that he disagrees with Thomas Aquinas’s theory of proving god’s existence. In the essay he states that “all of the first three involve an infinite regress-the answer to a question raises a prior question, and so on ad infinitum”. This is absolutely true, because each way asks a question, repeats the question, and in the end each way circles back to the main question.
ReplyDelete