St. Thomas Aquinas:Proofs Of Gods Existance Essay, Research Paper
St. Thomas Aquinas: Proofs of God?s existence.
Aquinas says that God?s essence (feeling) is his existence. That there is no
Actual need for proof of his existence. Before he actually developed his
Proofs Aquinas tried to show that such proofs are not useless, since the
Idea of God?s existence is not, a probable idea-?that God exists.? Because
Of this fact he states that every man has a ?natural knowledge? (that
which he is born with.) of God such as : he has some ideas of happiness
(since he wants/ desires it.) but he might think that happiness is made up
of sexual pleasure or in the possession of wealth.
Aquinas is trying to prove that the true happiness can only be found in
God (because he truly believed in Gods existence due to the society he
was in.). He states that a man who truly believes that there is no truth
asserts that it is true that there is no truth, but this does not matter if the
man knows primal truth- a source of God.This is St. Thomas?s argument
for the need of not proof ,
Aquinas says that in general we must make a distinction between real
and fake.Not every one understands by God. This is an argument by proof.
He stated that God?s existence cannot be proven but the idea and essence
of God can be. Aquinas also says that there is no logical need of his
proof.The fourth proof is from Aristotle?s observations in metaphysics. It
starts from ideas of perfection, of goodness, truth and etc. This deals with
the comparative or example: this is better than and why. He also states
that God is recognized by all that believe in him. All of these things
started from degrees of perfection, of goodness.
He stated that although there was a unity there was a very large
Difference. between the two. That only God holds the power of acting in
itself.
Aquinas was asked a question: How can a human being understand
Gods essence so he can work to attain it? The answer was that only faith
could lead humanity to an understanding of God and the essence (of
mankind.).The Existence of God and the limits of explanation. It seems to
me (in this day and age) that God does not exist. The meaning of this
word is something good without any limitations. So this makes one
question if God were to have existed there would be no evil in this world
encountered. But evil is encountered, so, therefor, God does not exist. St
Thomas Aquinas would defiantly not have agreed with my views. He
would probably have told me that there is no need for the explanation for
Gods existence. Aquinas says that everything in the world that can be
observed can be accounted for by other principals, on the belief that there
is no such thing as God. The
natural causes, while other effects are referred to human reason and will.
Therefore there is no need to argue the existence of God.
Aquinas says that the existence of God is self ? evident and that self-
evident is used in two senses; in one it is self-evident in itself, but not to
us; the other is self-evident and to us. He says that a proposition is self ?
evident when the predicate is part of the subject : For example man is an
animal since animal is part if the meaning man. If everyone knows the
essence of the subject and the predicate the proposition will be self-evident
to everyone just like God.
So, Aquinas says that the proposition God exists to all is self evident in
since the subject and the predicate are the same. He stated that God is
his own existence. God meaning ?something that which a greater cannot be
conceived?, because some people have thought of God to be body. No one
can make the argument that God exists in reality since they cannot touch
or feel him.
First mover – The ways in the Summa Theological
(Arguments trying to prove God?s existence.)
Aquinas says that it is possible to prove that God exists. The
first way comes from motion. Because we are sure that something?s in this
world move. Everything in this world which moves is moved by something
else?So if that by which it is moved is itself being moved by something
else also; and something else again. But this process has to stop
somewhere, it is not possible for it to go on forever; because, if it did
there would be no first mover; and no other mover. Secondary movers do
not move unless they are moved by a first mover; For example the stick
does not move unless it is moved by hand. Therefore, it is necessary to
find some first mover which is moved by nothing else and this all men
understand to be God.Aquinas is trying to say that there cannot be a
process that goes on into infinity.
Cosmological Arguments.
The first type of cosmological arguments comes from the idea that there
are things which we cannot see. This concludes that all things must be
done through the work of God. Aquinas automatically assumes that the
existence of the universe cannot be without God?s existence.
CONCLUSION
Through all of these arguments St. Thomas Aquinas was trying to prove
the existence of God. He was a very religious man who followed
Aristotle?s ways. Aquinas believed that there was no reason to question
Gods existence because it was obvious. Through men of his arguments he
did prove this. Aquinas was a modernist and was A very important figure in
Catholic Orthodoxy
Bibliography
an introduction to western pkilosophy by tony flew