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A Level Philosophy - Cosmological Argument AQA Final Exam Fully Solved.
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What is infinite regress? (3) - Answer It is chain of cause and effect that continues back and back forever (into infinity). It has no beginning point. Therefore, there is no need for a first cause. 1.) What is a contingent being (3) - Answer Contingent existence= something that relies o...

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  • November 21, 2024
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  • 2024/2025
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  • cosmological argument

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A Level Philosophy - Cosmological
Argument AQA Final Exam Fully Solved.
What is infinite regress? (3) - Answer It is chain of cause and effect that continues back and back
forever (into infinity).

It has no beginning point.

Therefore, there is no need for a first cause.



1.) What is a contingent being (3) - Answer Contingent existence= something that relies on something
else to exist. Does exist but may not have done.



What is a necessary being (3) - Answer Necessary existence = something that does not rely on anything
else to exist. It has to exist.



What is the principle of sufficient reason (3) - Answer No fact can ever be true or existent unless there
is a sufficient reason why things are as they are and not otherwise.



What are causal arguments? (3) - Answer 1) It can be argued that a chain of cause and effect cannot go
back in time forever - a sequence or chain of causes must have a beginning.



2) This can be understood through an analogy involving a train with carriages. The movement of a train
cannot be explained by the existence purely of carriages or by an infinite number of carriages (infinite
regress).



3) The movement of a train can only be explained by the existence of an engine - something which is
clearly different from the carriages and able to create and sustain the movement of the whole train.
There needs to be a first cause that is able to provide an explanation for the whole universe.



What are contingency arguments (3) - Answer 1) The world (and everything within it) is considered to
have contingent existence, whereas only God has necessary existence.

, 2) For the world to have contingent existence means it must have been brought into existence at a
certain point in time by something else (interpreted to be God), unless it is to be considered a brute fact.



3) (Brute fact = something that cannot be explained)



Outline Aquinas' first way (argument from motion) (5) - Answer 1.) There are some things in motion or
a state of change, for example wood burning into fire.



2.) Nothing can move or change itself.



3.) Imagine if everything moved something else. There would be an infinite regress of movers.



4.) Reductio ad absurdum: if 3 were true then there would be no first mover and hence there would be
no subsequent movers.



5.) But this is false



6.) Therefore, there must be an unmoved mover, which is the source of all motion and change.



7.) This is whom we call God



Outline Aquinas' second way (argument from atemporal causation) (5) - Answer 1.) There is an order of
efficient causes (every event has a cause).



2.) Nothing can be the efficient cause of itself.



3.) Imagine this order of efficient causes going back infinitely - there would be no first cause.



4.) Reductio ad absurdum: if 3 were true then there would be no first cause and hence no subsequent
efficient causes.

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