The kalām cosmological argument / edited by Paul Copan with William Lane Craig.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Copan, Paul, editor.

Craig, William Lane, editor.

Series:

Bloomsbury studies in philosophy of religion

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

God--Proof, Cosmological.

God--Proof, Empirical.

God--Proof--History of doctrines.

Physical Description:

volumes ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

New York : Bloomsbury Academic, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Inc, 2018-

Summary:

Did the universe begin to exist? If so, did it have a cause? Or could it have come into existence uncaused, from nothing? These questions are taken up by the medieval-though recently-revived-kalam cosmological argument, which has arguably been the most discussed philosophical argument for God's existence in recent decades. The kalam's line of reasoning maintains that the series of past events cannot be infinite but rather is finite. Since the universe could not have come into being uncaused, there must be a transcendent cause of the universe's beginning, a conclusion supportive of theism. This anthology on the philosophical arguments for the finitude of the past asks: Is an infinite series of past events metaphysically possible? Should actual infinites be restricted to theoretical mathematics, or can an actual infinite exist in the concrete world? These essays by kalam proponents and detractors engage in lively debate about the nature of infinity and its conundrums; about frequently-used kalam argument paradoxes of Tristram Shandy, the Grim Reaper, and Hilbert's Hotel; and about the infinity of the future.

Contents:

Volume one. Philosophical arguments for the finitude of the past

Volume two. Scientific evidence for the beginning of the universe

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1501330799

9781501330797

9781501335877

1501335871

OCLC:

963733100