What is your answer?

Why did Aquinas think that there must be a "necessary being" (a being that has to exist) -- which he identified with God?

    { 1 } - God by definition has all positive attributes. But existence is a positive attribute. So God exists by definition -- and of necessity.
    { 2 } - Only a being that exists of necessity could be a suitable object of worship.
    { 3 } - Every contingent being at some time fails to exist. So if everything were contingent, then at some time there would have been nothing -- and so there would be nothing now -- which is clearly false. So not everything is contingent. So there is a necessary being.

<= back | menu | forward =>
Directions: Click on a number from 1 to 3.
























 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

























1 is wrong. Please try again.

Why did Aquinas think that there must be a "necessary being" (a being that has to exist) -- which he identified with God?

This is Descartes.

<= back | menu | forward =>
























 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

























2 is wrong. Please try again.

Why did Aquinas think that there must be a "necessary being" (a being that has to exist) -- which he identified with God?

    { 1 } - God by definition has all positive attributes. But existence is a positive attribute. So God exists by definition -- and of necessity.
    { 2 } - Only a being that exists of necessity could be a suitable object of worship.
    { 3 } - Every contingent being at some time fails to exist. So if everything were contingent, then at some time there would have been nothing -- and so there would be nothing now -- which is clearly false. So not everything is contingent. So there is a necessary being.

This is Findlay.

<= back | menu | forward =>
























 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

























3 is correct!

Why did Aquinas think that there must be a "necessary being" (a being that has to exist) -- which he identified with God?

    { 1 } - God by definition has all positive attributes. But existence is a positive attribute. So God exists by definition -- and of necessity.
    { 2 } - Only a being that exists of necessity could be a suitable object of worship.
    { 3 } - Every contingent being at some time fails to exist. So if everything were contingent, then at some time there would have been nothing -- and so there would be nothing now -- which is clearly false. So not everything is contingent. So there is a necessary being.

This was his "argument #3" for the existence of God.

One might question some of these premises. Why couldn't some contingent beings always exist? Why would a world with only contingent beings have to have all of them go out of existence at the same time? Why would a necessary being have to be God? Why couldn't it be the universe?

<= back | menu | forward =>
Before continuing, you might try some wrong answers.
























 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

























the end