Important Ideas
What is Cogito Ergo Sum?
I think, therefore I am
Who is the Greek Philosopher obsessed with organizing?
Aristotle
Who wrote French Metaphysics of one’s existences, therefore the existence of God
Meditations by René Descartes
Who coined the term Agnosticism?
Thomas Henry Huxley
When did Atheism first rise?
During the Renaissance and European Enlightenment
What is the Ontological Argument?
1. “God” is understood as a concept to be the greatest (most perfect) being.
2. A being that exists in reality (outside of one’s mind) is greater and more perfect than that same being only understood as a concept.
3. Therefore, God, conceived as the greatest being, must also exist in reality.
Who is the Metaphysical French Philosopher living between 1596-1650 ?
René Descartes
Who wrote a book of all the Catholic teachings used by the church to this day
Summa Theologian by Thomas Aquinas
What is Irreligious Agnosticism?
The arguments for theism are insufficient to overrun empirical skepticism
The burden of proof
In the absence of rational arguments for the existence of God, atheism becomes the default
What is the Cosmological Argument?
1. The universe presently exists
2. Each thing that exists is caused by something else that previously exists
3. That this chain of causation continues endlessly (“infinite regress”) is illogical and unlikely
4. The exceptional first uncaused cause is what we call “God”
Who is the Italian Dominican priest named Doctor of the Church?
St. Thomas Aquinas
Who wrote the book containing the first Ontological Argument?
Proslogian by St. Anselm of Canterbury
What is Fideism?
The idea that religious belief is a leap of faith, therefore inherently irrational
Argument of Incoherence (to Omnipotence)
Can a god do the logically impossible? If not, is he then bound to the rules of logic?
What is the Teleological Argument?
Supposing that everything has a purpose and design, therefore there must be a designer which we call a “God.”
Who is the philosopher that developed the Ontological Argument?
St. Anselm of Canterbury
Who wrote the book introducing Monads as the buildings blocks of reality?
The Monadology by Gottfried Leibniz
What is Pascal’s Wager?
When measuring the odds, it is better to live like God exists for a better outcome.
Argument of Incoherence (to Omniscience)
If God is truly all knowing, then are we actually free?
What is the Most Famous Argument against the Ontological Argument
The Criticisms of the Ontological Argument would then argue that it could prove the greatest *anything*!
Who is the physicist who “improved” Descartes’ idea?
Gottfried Leibniz
Who wrote the book of exploring the nine circles of hell
Inferno by Dante Alighieri
The Problem of Evil
If God is all good, why is there evil in the world?