
What is Kalam cosmological argument?
The Kalām cosmological argument is a modern formulation of the cosmological argument for the existence of God; named for the kalam (medieval Islamic scholasticism), it was popularized by William Lane Craig in his The Kalām Cosmological Argument (1979). Click to see full answer. Also know, who created the first cause argument? St Thomas Aquinas.
Is the kalam argument supported by the KCA?
Ghazali formulates his argument very simply: “Every being which begins has a cause for its beginning; now the world is a being which begins; therefore, it possesses a cause for its beginning.”. [1] Ghazali’s reasoning involves three simple steps: 1. Whatever begins to exist has a cause of its beginning. 2.
Does everything have a cause according to Kalam?
What are the best books on cosmological Kalamity?

Who came up with the Kalam argument?
The Kalām Cosmological ArgumentCover of the first editionAuthorWilliam Lane CraigSubjectKalam cosmological argumentPublisherBarnes & Noble, New YorkPublication date19795 more rows
Where does the Kalam argument come from?
Historical background. The kalam cosmological argument is based on the concept of the prime-mover, introduced by Aristotle, and entered early Christian or Neoplatonist philosophy in Late Antiquity, being developed by John Philoponus.
What is the Kalam argument in philosophy?
Put simply, kalam arguments try to demonstrate (1) that the existence of an actual infinite (a concept from modern set theory to be discussed shortly) is impossible and (2) that even if it were possible, the universe itself is not actually infinite and hence must have had a beginning.Dec 2, 1998
How old is William Lane Craig?
72 years (August 23, 1949)William Lane Craig / Age
What is the Kalam cosmological argument for God?
Approximately 1500 years ago John Philoponus proposed a simple and compelling argument for the existence of God: (1) Whatever comes to be has a cause of its coming to be; (2) The universe came to be; (3) Therefore, the universe has a cause of its coming to be.
What is the Kalam argument quizlet?
Like all cosmological arguments, the Kalam cosmological arguments is an argument from the existence of the world or universe to existence of God. Only adequate explanation is that it was created by God.
Is the Kalam argument deductive?
This is where the argument begins its analysis. It is important to distinguish between an 'argument' and 'reasoning' . An argument can be inductive overall but use reasoning that is concerned with deductive statements as a part of its strategy. For example, the Kalam is often claimed to be a deductive argument.
Who wrote the teleological argument?
William PaleyThough the basic premise of the teleological argument had been articulated by thinkers as far back as ancient Greece and Rome, today it is almost universally associated with the writings of one person: William Paley (Fig. 1). Paley was born in July 1743 in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England.Oct 24, 2009
What is the Kalam Cosmological Argument?
References. The Kalam cosmological argument is a modern formulation of the cosmological argument for the existence of God. It is named after the kalam (medieval Islamic scholasticism) from which its key ideas originated. It was popularized in the western world by William Lane Craig in his book, The Kalām Cosmological Argument (1979).
What is agent causation?
Agent causation, volitional action, is the only ontological condition in which an effect can arise in the absence of prior determining conditions. Therefore, only personal, free agency can account for the origin of a first temporal effect from a changeless cause.
Is information immaterial or material?
Since this information cannot exist in a material way (e.g., how a ball possesses a spherical pattern), it must exist in an immaterial way. But for information to exist in an immaterial way is what is classically defined as intellect (e.g. the mental concept of a sphere).
Does the universe have a cause?
The universe has a cause. If the universe has a cause, then an uncaused, personal Creator of the universe exists who sans (without) the universe is beginningless, changeless, immaterial, timeless, spaceless and enormously powerful.
What is the Kalam argument?
The Kalam Cosmological Argument. (1) Everything that has a beginning of its existence has a cause of its existence. (2) The univers e has a beginning of its existence. Therefore: (3) The universe has a cause of its existence. (4) If the universe has a cause of its existence then that cause is God. Therefore:
What is Kalam cosmological argument?
Like all cosmological arguments, the kalam cosmological argument is an argument from the existence of the world or universe to the existence of God. The existence of the universe, such arguments claim, stands in need of explanation. The only adequate explanation, the arguments suggest, is that it was created by God.
What is the Big Bang theory?
In support of this claim, modern advocates of the argument often appeal to modern science, specifically to the Big Bang theory. Modern science, they say, has established that the universe began with the Big Bang. Traditionally, however, it is mathematics that has been used by proponents of the kalam argument in order to establish ...
What does Kalam mean?
The term kalam is Arabic and means “eternal.”. The earliest form of this particular argument was formulated by Islamic thinkers. It was also used by Christian philosophers such as the Scholastics. As with any logical argument, some scholars support it and others dismiss it. Unlike less-impactful approaches such as the ontological argument, ...
What is the cosmological argument?
Cosmological arguments attempt to demonstrate God’s existence using the concept of causality. Effects require a cause, and everything we observe in the universe appears to be an effect; therefore, there must be an underlying or primary cause of all things. These arguments typically come in two major types, known as the “horizontal” ...

Overview
Contemporary discourse
According to the atheist philosopher Quentin Smith, "a count of the articles in the philosophy journals shows that more articles have been published about Craig’s defense of the Kalam argument than have been published about any other philosopher’s contemporary formulation of an argument for God’s existence."
The Kalam cosmological argument has received criticism from philosophers such as J. L. Mackie, Graham …
Form of the argument
The most prominent form of the argument, as defended by William Lane Craig, states the Kalam cosmological argument as the following syllogism:
1. Everything that begins to exist has a cause.
2. The universe began to exist.
3. Therefore, the universe has a cause.
Historical background
The kalam cosmological argument is based on the concept of the prime-mover, introduced by Aristotle, and entered early Christian or Neoplatonist philosophy in Late Antiquity, being developed by John Philoponus. Along with much of classical Greek philosophy, the concept was adopted into medieval Islamic tradition during the Islamic Golden Age, where it received its fullest articulation at the hands of Muslim scholars, most directly by Islamic theologians of the Sunni tradition.
See also
• Arguments for the existence of God
• Cosmogony
• Natural theology
• Principle of sufficient reason
• Temporal finitism
Further reading
• Craig, William Lane (1999). "A swift and simple refutation of the Kalam cosmological argument?". Religious Studies. 35 (1): 57–72. doi:10.1017/s0034412598004703.
• Copan, Paul; Craig, William Lane (2004). Creation out of Nothing: A Biblical, Philosophical, and Scientific Exploration. Baker Academic.
Form of The Argument
- The most prominent form of the argument, as defended by William Lane Craig, states the Kalam cosmological argument as the following brief syllogism: 1. Whatever begins to exist has a cause. 2. The universe began to exist. 3. Therefore, the universe has a cause. Given the conclusion, Craig appends a further premise and conclusion based upon a conceptual analysis of the properties o…
Historical Background
- The Kalam cosmological argumentis based on the concept of the prime-mover, introduced by Aristotle, and entered early Christian or Neoplatonist philosophy in Late Antiquity, being developed by John Philoponus. Along with much of classical Greek philosophy, the concept was adopted into medieval Islamic tradition, where it received its fullest articu...
Contemporary Discourse
- According to the atheist philosopher Quentin Smith, “a count of the articles in the philosophy journals shows that more articles have been published about Craig’s defense of the Kalam argument than have been published about any other philosopher’s contemporary formulation of an argument for God’s existence.” The Kalam cosmological argument has received criticism fro…
References
- Barker, Dan (1999). “Cosmological Kalamity”. The Secular Web. Retrieved 3 December 2009.
- Craig, William Lane (1979). The KalāmCosmological Argument. Wipf & Stock Publishers. ISBN 978-1-57910-438-2.
- Craig, William Lane (1996). “Initial Arguments: A Defense of the Cosmological Argument for the Existence of God”. Leadership University. Retrieved 28 November 2009.
- Barker, Dan (1999). “Cosmological Kalamity”. The Secular Web. Retrieved 3 December 2009.
- Craig, William Lane (1979). The KalāmCosmological Argument. Wipf & Stock Publishers. ISBN 978-1-57910-438-2.
- Craig, William Lane (1996). “Initial Arguments: A Defense of the Cosmological Argument for the Existence of God”. Leadership University. Retrieved 28 November 2009.
- Craig, William Lane (1994). Reasonable Faith. Moody Press. ISBN 978-0-89107-764-0.