The Existense of God

Term Paper # 113881

Philosophy > Religion

A look at some modern "proofs" for God's existence.

3,456 words () | 19 sources | MLA | 2007 Canada

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how the modern discoveries of physics, astronomy, cosmology and biology have provided mankind with a compellingly robust set of proofs for the existence of God. The purpose of this paper is to examine what some of these good reasons are for believing in God's existence. It also includes an examination of the following classical proofs for God's existence: the cosmological argument and the teleological argument, which is also known as the argument from design. The cosmological argument is examined with respect to views of both Plato and Aristotle because of their great influence on other proponents of the cosmological argument.

Outline:
Introduction
The Cosmological Argument
The Teleological Argument
Conclusion
Bibliography

From the Paper:

"How does one possess knowledge of something? Knowledge allows one to attempt to ask what something is and why it is; "it also inquires into the grounds of this knowledge - including knowledge of and talk about God." The act of knowing is one, which provides both arguments and proofs. One trait, which is common to the method of formulating proofs, is that of repetition. Proofs can take on many different dimensions: "the proof of a mathematician, the proof a natural scientists who proceeds by experiment, the proof of a lawyer, a historian, a literary researcher, or the proof of a doctor when he diagnoses an illness." The 'proofs of God's existence' are of a completely different nature than those aforementioned. This is true because God is immaterial and transcends the universe. He cannot be proved by a series of bullet experiments. It is inevitable that one will approach the issue of God's existence with a set of presuppositions. "

Sample of Sources Used:

Barbour, Ian G. When Science Meets Religion: Enemies, Strangers or Partners? New York: Harper Collins, 2000.
Collins, Francis S. The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief. New York: Free Press, 2006.
Craig, William Lane. The Cosmological Argument from Plato to Leibniz. London: Macmillan Press, 1980.
Craig, William Lane. The Kalam Cosmological Argument. London: Macmillan, 1979.
Dawkins, Richard. The Blind Watchmaker: Why The Evidence of Evolution Reveals A Universe Without Design. London: Norton, 1986.