God and Ultimate Origins

A Novel Cosmological Argument

Andrew Ter Ern Loke

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9783319575469
• eBook ISBN: 9783319575476
• Topic: Philosophy
• Subtopic: Epistemology in Philosophy

This book develops a novel argument which combines the Kalam with the Thomistic Cosmological Argument. It approaches an ongoing dispute concerning whether there is a First Cause of time from a radically new point of view, namely by demonstrating that there is such a First Cause without requiring the controversial arguments against concrete infinities and against traversing an actual infinite (although the book presents original defenses of these arguments as well). This book also develops a novel philosophical argument for the Causal Principle, namely that 'everything that begins to exist has a cause', and offers a detailed discussion on whether a First Cause of time can be avoided by a causal loop. It also addresses epistemological issues related to the Cosmological Argument which have been relatively neglected by recent publications, and demonstrates (contra Hawking et al) the continual relevance and significance of philosophy for answering ultimate questions. 

Table of contents

• Preface
• Contents
• List of Figures
• 1 The Question of Ultimate Origins
• 2 Is the Past Infinite? An Assessment of the Current Literature
• 3 Formulating a New Cosmological Argument
• 4 Is There a Causal Loop Which Avoids a First Cause?
• 5 Did the Initial State of Reality Begin to Exist Uncaused?
• 6 What is the Nature of the First Cause?
• 7 The Conclusion of Our Quest
• Author Index
• Subject Index