Back to category: Religion

Limited version - please login or register to view the entire paper.

Aquinas 5 proofs

First Proof: Any given thing cannot be at once in actuality and potentiality in the same respect. Thus, a thing is actually in motion or potentially in motion. The things we know are such that their potentiality to motion is actualized by something other than itself; that is, nothing can actualize itself. To proceed to infinity in the order of movers could not be so moved for there would not be a first mover. But things are moved. Therefore, there must be a first mover.
Second Proof: Nothing with which we are familiar is the efficient cause of itself but rather is caused by something other than itself. There cannot be an infinite number of causes because that would do away with the first cause, thus destroying the intermediary causes, and hence the ultimate causes. If there is no cause, then there is no effect. If efficient causes go ad infinitum, there will be no ultimate effect nor intermediate causes...

Posted by: Angelia Holliday

Limited version - please login or register to view the entire paper.