Saint Thomas Aquinas Argument For The Existence Of God

Words: 1175
Pages: 5
Open Document
In his work Summa Theologica, Saint Thomas Aquinas ponders the existence of God and debates a series of questions, culminating in an overview of his five ways to prove there is a God. In the fifth way, now better known as Thomas' "Argument from Design", the philosopher uses a teleological approach to assert nature is governed, or directed, by an intelligent being known to man as God. Aquinas states that everything has an order, which can be explained only by a purpose, or design. Since design and purpose are both associated with intelligence, nature must be guided by an over-seeing designer. There are many objections to Aquinas' final argument. Some claim the assumption that everything has a purpose, including the universe as a whole, commits the Fallacy of …show more content…
The material cause is essentially the matter of which something is made. For example, the material cause of a house would be the bricks and mortar. The formal cause is the essence of something. In the case of a house, the formal cause would be the structure, and shelter the bricks provide. The efficient cause is the agent responsible for making or moving. This would be the construction workers who built the house. Lastly, the final cause is the end reason, or purpose for existence. For a house, this would be the warmth and security it provides. This final cause can be further explained as the result of an effective cause. For example, if lightning is the effective cause of forest fires, then forest fires are the final cause of lightning. Circumstances such as these are extremely common in nature, and are examples of inanimate objects being directed towards a specific effect beyond itself. It appears as though nature exhibits patterns. These patterns, or regularities, are the focus of Aquinas' "fifth
Show More

Related Documents: Saint Thomas Aquinas Argument For The Existence Of God

Compare And Contrast Anslem Vs. Anselm

known as Saint Anselm was born in 1033 and died at about the age of 76 in 1109. Reasoned God's’ existence with ontological argument. Another Philosopher was born later named Thomas Aquinas or Saint Aquinas, born in 1225-1274 (Palmer 2013). He argued over the existence of God, but he had five philosophical arguments called the cosmological arguments. Anslem and Aquinas have two different philosophies, but some comparisons and contrasts exist between the two arguments. While Anselm’s argument comes…

Words 371 - Pages 2

League of Natyiom Essay

Cosmological Argument? The word ‘cosmos’ refers to the universe as an ordered, harmonious and holistic entity. The cosmological argument therefore argues for the existence of God a posterior based on the apparent order in the universe. There was a Saint called St. Thomas Aquinas born 1225 March 7th and he died 1274. He is the idea that philosophy can help us come to a better understanding of theology- the study of God. Aquinas asked this question “is it obvious that there is a God?” he then answered…

Words 464 - Pages 2

The Existence Of God

The Existence of God Proof of Gods existence has always been a question I often ponder about. Almost everyone at some particular point in his or her life has challenged the existence of God. This may happen for a number of reasons. For example he or she might have been at a point in their life when their faith alone was just not enough for them to believe. Humans have a natural instinct to find reasons for events that can’t be explained. Whether or not God exists has risen to conflict and caused…

Words 2512 - Pages 11

Term Paper

St. Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas is a famous Christian philosopher. Although he died very young, he lived his life to the fullest teaching people and even writing many volumes of books outlining his thoughts. Through Aquinas’ history and philosophical studies we know about his own views of philosophy. Thomas Aquinas was born in 1225 in southern Italy. “Before St. Thomas Aquinas was born, a holy hermit shared a prediction with his mother, foretelling that her son would enter the Order…

Words 1803 - Pages 8

Cosmological Argument Essays

and how God created the universe in seven days. However growing up I have naturally thought to question this notion of creationism due to influences such as in education; examples being simply studying Biology and how we learn about evolution and the main influence, peers. In what way can this be detrimental to religion in the future? In this short essay I will be looking at the arguments for and against the existence of God relevant to the cosmological argument. There are many arguments for and…

Words 653 - Pages 3

Cosmological Argument Research Paper

main arguments that each seek to prove the existence of God; the Ontological, Cosmological, and Teleological Arguments. The three are different in their approaches, but all arrive at the same conclusion. Ontological Argument argues God’s existence from the assumption of the existence a “Greatest thing that can ever be conceived.” From there, it argues that in order for something to be “The greatest thing ever” it must exist physically (that is outside of the mind). The Cosmological Argument argues…

Words 1729 - Pages 7

Essay on Does God Exist?

whether or not God exists. This is the very question that has grasped the imagination of humanity since the birth of reason, and the same question that has plagued scientists and philosophers without coming close to an accepted conclusion. God is a word that means different things to different people. The definition for God, according to most monotheistic religions is the creator and ruler…

Words 1981 - Pages 8

Proof For The Existence Of God

God The mere claim, that there could be “Proof for the Existence of God,” seems to invite ridicule. As far as the ideal, that the Earth might be round. Not always are those who laugh first and think later right. Many well-known scientists now admit that certain discoveries tend to indicate that God rather does exist than not. However, if I picture God as being everywhere, surrounding us like air or awareness then, an understanding of what God is suddenly becomes real. Simply by looking at what…

Words 2330 - Pages 10

Essay about Dominican: Thomas Aquinas and God

Dominican (1225–1244)[edit] Thomas was born in Roccasecca, in the Aquino county of the Kingdom of Sicily (present-day Lazio region, Italy), circa January 28, 1225. Saint Thomas Aquinas (c.1225-1274) was a scholastic philosopher and Dominican whose work had an enormous influence both on the course of Christian theology and on the course of philosophy generally. Before Aquinas' work, the dominant figure in Western philosophy was Augustine, who emphasized the principles of God's sovereignty and the…

Words 2977 - Pages 12

Bio chem Essay example

Terms: 1) Islam Islam (Faith) Arabic word meaning to surrender Muslim (Believer) Arabic word meaning one who submits to the will 
of God Allah Arabic word for God One transcendent unlike anything in ordinary 
human experience Misconception Allah as fierce or harsh Rather Muslims focus on Allah’s mercy and 
gentleness 2) Pope / Patriarch Patriarch – A Christian bishop of the early Church in certain major cities of the Roman Empire. This title is still in use in Eastern Churches today…

Words 1657 - Pages 7