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Saint Thomas Aquinas on God's Existence - Papers Online

Saint Thomas Aquinas on God's Existence

Saint Thomas Aquinas

Since the beginning of time, man has been skeptical about the existence of God, causing many heated debates and philosophical discussions. Many philosophers have invested a great deal of time into proving the existence of God. Saint Thomas Aquinas is one such philosopher. During his lifetime, he succeeded in analyzing small pieces of information to ultimately develop a strong argument in support of God's existence.

In Aquinas mind, the question of proving the existence of God began with the question of how, and to what extent, humans can understand God at all. Before he undertook to prove the existence of God by reason, he found it crucial to demonstrate that ...

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existence of God is the threat against the finite structure of being, against the unity of polar elements. This argument has also been called the argument from design.

According to Aquinas, the first and more manifest way to prove God's existence is the argument from motion. Because motion is certain, and evident to the human senses, we know that some things are in motion. According to Aquinas, "whatever is moved is moved by another, for nothing can be moved except it is potentiality to that towards which it is moved; whereas a thing moves inasmuch as it is in act. For motion is nothing else that the reduction of something from potentiality to actuality. But nothing can be reduced from potentiality to actuality, except by something in the state of actuality." Therefore, whatever is actually hot, such as fire, makes wood, which is potentially hot, to be actually hot, and hence moves and changes it. This proves that whatever is moved must be moved by another. This demonstrates ...

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Saint Thomas Aquinas on God's Existence. (2016, January 7). Retrieved March 29, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Saint-Thomas-Aquinas-on-Gods-Existence/105341
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"Saint Thomas Aquinas on God's Existence." Essayworld.com. January 7, 2016. Accessed March 29, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Saint-Thomas-Aquinas-on-Gods-Existence/105341.
"Saint Thomas Aquinas on God's Existence." Essayworld.com. January 7, 2016. Accessed March 29, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Saint-Thomas-Aquinas-on-Gods-Existence/105341.
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PAPER DETAILS
Added: 1/7/2016 05:43:15 AM
Category: Philosophy
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 563
Pages: 3

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