Aquinas’ Five Proofs
St. Thomas Aquinas Born in Italy, 1225 If Francis represents heart, Aquinas was the mind of the Middle Ages a genius Born into very wealthy, noble family Parents did NOT approve of plan to become Dominican friar. (They even kidnapped him!)
Thought Studied at University of Paris (greatest university of the Middle Ages) Period of controversy in Church Should we study pagan (Greek) philosophy? Some say BIBLE ONLY! Others believed great ideas from non-Christians were still valid Aquinas loved Aristotle He sided with studying Greek philosophy Contribution: incorporating the great ideas of Greek philosophy into Christianity He “baptized” the pagan philosophers (Socrates, Plato, Aristotle)
Work and End of Life Summa Theologiae defends/explains existence of God and Christian theology Miracle priest finds Thomas levitating, deep in prayer/meditation Thomas has mystical vision of God Dies without finishing Summa
Aquinas was inspired by this passage to examine God’s works and prove to the skeptics that there is a God. St. Thomas Aquinas argued that there are 5 ways to prove the existence of God…
The First Proof: The Prime Mover Consider a bouncing ball. How did the ball start bouncing? Did it fall and if so what caused it to fall? What started all the action? The Argument from Motion: Our senses can perceive motion by seeing that things act on one another. Whatever moves is moved by something else. Consequently, there must be a First Mover that creates this chain reaction of motions. This is God. God sets all things in motion and gives them their potential.
The Second Proof: The First Cause Consider yourself and your family history. You came to be because of your parents and your parents came to be because of their parents and so on. But where does it begin? The Argument from Efficient Cause: Because nothing can cause itself, everything must have a cause or something that creates an effect on another thing. Without a first cause, there would be no others. Therefore, the First Cause is God.
The Third Proof: Possibility and Necessity Consider things that exist beyond the realm of human control. How did trees, animals, mountains, stars, and the sun come to exist? What caused these things to exist? If it was a mere accident what existed before the universe? If nothing, then nothing can come from nothing. The Argument from Necessary Being: Because objects in the world come into existence and pass out of it, it is possible for those objects to exist or not exist at any particular time. However, nothing can come from nothing. This means something must exist at all times. This is God.
The Fourth Proof: The degrees found in things Consider the notion that there are varying degrees of love, goodness, and perfection. Consider the concept of heat. There are certainly varying degrees of heat. The Argument from Gradation: There are different degrees of goodness in different things. Following the “Great Chain of Being,” which states there is a gradual increase in complexity, created objects move from unformed inorganic matter to biologically complex organisms. Therefore, there must be a being of the highest form of good. This perfect being is God.
The Fifth Proof: The Cosmos Examine the natural world around you. Although it appears to be chaotic at times, nature is very structured. Weather systems, oceans, the solar system, time, it all has structure. Who is responsible for this structure? Who could have designed such a plan? The Argument from Design: All things have an order or arrangement that leads them to a particular goal. Because the order of the universe cannot be the result of chance, design and purpose must be at work. This implies divine intelligence on the part of the designer. This is God.
-- Thomas Aquinas "Things are in motion, hence there is a first mover. Things are caused, hence there is a first cause. Things exist, hence there is a creator. Perfect goodness exists, hence it has a sourcer. Things are designed, hence they serve a purpose." -- Thomas Aquinas
Argument from Motion Argument from motion