@philosophyminis: The cosmological argument is probably the most popular argument for the existence of God, and it's when somebody says that the universe has to have come from somewhere. It's an argument from first causes, and it argues that the universe has to have a first cause, the first mover, a metaphysical something that flips the first domino, that sets the story in motion. One of the earliest and most lucid variations of the cosmological argument goes back to the Persian scholar Al-Ghazali, but it's been popularised more recently by the American scholar William Lane Craig. This is how the argument goes. First, everything that begins has to have a cause. Second, the universe had a beginning, and therefore, the universe has to have had a cause. The argument hinges on two premises. Does everything that began to exist have to have a cause? While Lane Craig argues that this has been proven by the widespread and universal observation of cause and effect. But the second premise asks whether the universe has to have had a beginning. And here, Lane Craig argues two points, one from cosmology, and one from mathematics. In cosmology, Lane Craig argues that the Big Bang is still the best theory that we have for the start of the universe, which implies that there is a beginning. A lot of Lane Craig's work goes to show that while infinity might be possible in mathematics, it's impossible in the real world. There cannot be an infinite regress of causes to the universe. The universe has to have a cause, and so it must be caused by something.

Jonny Thomson

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Monday 08 September 2025 13:45:00 GMT