برهان جهان شناختي

Cosmological Argument

Cosmological argument is a general name that includes many different arguments, but all of its versions are a posteriori (contrary to ontological argument) and based on an apparently common feature of our experience (contrary to argument from design). I try to explain the structure of the cosmological argument via explaining some of its important versions. In this regard, Aquinas versions of cosmological argument; the arguments from motion, causation and contingency (the first three ways of his famous five ways) are discussed in details. Then I proceed to discuss Kalam cosmological argument, which is rooted in Islamic theological writings in cosmological argument, which is rooted in Islamic theological writings in the Middle Ages, and the argument from the principle of sufficient reason, respectively. Criticizing all of these versions, I conclude my paper by explaining and defending Avicennaʹs version of cosmological argument.