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    The conception of a temporally infinite universe, underst... — Carmelics
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    Home/Natural Theology
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    The conception of a temporally infinite universe, understood as a successive causal chain, is impossible.

    Causation
    ?Rate how convincing each reason is below to see the overall strength.
    1 reason for
    2 reasons against

    Reasons For

    1 perspective
    Reason for
    ?
    • 1.If the existence of something requires the preexistence of something else, then any one thing will not come to be without the prior existence of the other.
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    • 2.An infinite number cannot exist in actuality, nor be traversed in counting, nor be increased.
      ?

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    • 3.Something cannot come into being if its existence requires the preexistence of an infinite number of other things, one arising out of the other.
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    Reasons Against

    2 perspectives
    Reason against 1 of 2
    ?
    • 1.An actually infinite series need not be 'traversed' to exist; it simply is, without any member being infinitely distant from others.
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    • 2.Aristotle's own distinction between potential and actual infinity does not entail that an eternal series of causes constitutes a completed actual infinite.
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    • 3.Cantorian set theory demonstrates that a coherent formal treatment of completed infinities is possible, undermining the claim that actual infinities are categorically impossible.
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    Reason against 2 of 2
    ?
    • 1.Al-Ghazali's and Averroes's debate on eternal creation shows that an eternal causal series can be conceived as wholly dependent on a sustaining cause at each moment, not requiring a first temporal moment.
      ?

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    • 2.The 'traversal' objection conflates the perspective of an external counter with the intrinsic structure of the series, committing a category error Aquinas himself implicitly acknowledged in the Summa Theologiae Ia, q.46.
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    Topics

    Natural TheologyCausation

    Related

    Al-Ghazali's and Averroes's debate on eternal creation shows that an eternal cau...An actually infinite series need not be 'traversed' to exist; it simply is, with...An infinite number cannot exist in actuality, nor be traversed in counting, nor ...Aristotle's own distinction between potential and actual infinity does not entai...
    +4 moreShow less
    Cantorian set theory demonstrates that a coherent formal treatment of completed ...If the existence of something requires the preexistence of something else, then ...Something cannot come into being if its existence requires the preexistence of a...The 'traversal' objection conflates the perspective of an external counter with ...

    Similar

    The explanation that the universe's origin requires an infinite causal...82%For Aristotle, the temporal series of events, formed by successively a...81%God could have created a universe that has existed for an infinite amo...80%Causal chains cannot be infinite.79%

    Source

    AI-extracted1/3 agreementValid
    SEP: philoponus
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    Like the polemic against Proclus, Against Aristotle is mainly devoted to removing obstacles for the creationist. If Aristotle were right about the existence of an immutable fifth element (ether) in the celestial region, and if he were right about motion and time being eternal, any belief in creation would surely be unwarranted. Philoponus succeeds in pointing to numerous contradictions, inconsistencies, fallacies and improbable assumptions in Aristotle’s philosophy of nature relating to these cl
    Extraction notes

    Validity: Extracted via Max plan + API grounding/validity checks

    Details

    Type
    claim
    Perspectives
    3 (1 for, 2 against)
    Edits
    1 edit