The Kalam Cosmological Argument, Volume 2: Scientific Evidence for the Beginning of the Universe (Bloomsbury Studies in Philosophy of Religion, 2)

"The ancient kalam cosmological argument maintains that the series of past events is finite and that therefore the universe began to exist. Two recent scientific discoveries have yielded plausible prima facie physical evidence for the beginning of the universe. The expansion of the universe points to its beginning--to a Big Bang--as one retraces the universe's expansion in time. And the second law of thermodynamics, which implies that the universe's energy is progressively degrading, suggests that the universe began with an initial low entropy condition. The kalam cosmological argument--perhaps the most discussed philosophical argument for God's existence in recent decades--maintains that whatever begins to exist must have a cause. And since the universe began to exist, there must be a transcendent cause of its beginning, a conclusion which is confirmatory of theism. So this medieval argument for the finitude of the past has received fresh wind in its sails from recent scientific discoveries. This collection reviews and assesses the merits of the latest scientific evidences for the universe's beginning. It ends with the kalam argument's conclusion that the universe has a cause--a personal cause with properties of theological significance."--Bloomsbury Publishing. Title Page Copyright Page Contents Acknowledgments Foreword Introduction Versions of the cosmological argument Chapter summaries of The Kalām Cosmological Argument: Scientific Evidence for the Beginning of the Universe Notes Chapter 1 The Kalām Cosmological Argument: “Science” Excerpt 2.3 Scientific confirmation Section III Summary IV Quantum gravity Notes References Chapter 2 Why the Big Bang Singularity Does Not Help the Kalām Cosmological Argument for Theism 1 Introduction 2 The doctrine of creation and its warrant 3 Cardinality and sizes of infinity 4 Modern cosmology and creation 5 Tolerance or intolerance toward singularities? 6 Leibniz against incompetent watchmaker? 7 Induction from earlier theories’ breakdown? 8 Stellar collapse implies theistic destroyer 9 Stacking the deck for GTR 10 Quantum gravity tends to resolve singularities 11 Vicious God-of-the-gaps character 12 Fluctuating or inaccessible warrant 13 Big Bang cosmology not especially congenial to faith Acknowledgments Notes References Chapter 3 On Non-Singular Spacetimes and the Beginning of the Universe 1.0 Introduction 2.0 The singularity argument formulated 3.0 The singularity argument assessed 4.0 Physical evidence for premise (2) 5.0 The beginning of the universe 6.0 Concluding remarks Acknowledgments Notes References Chapter 4 The Beginning of the Universe The Penrose singularity theorem Eternal inflation The Borde-Guth-Vilenkin theorem God’s proof An unaddressable mystery Appendix: Mathematical details Notes Chapter 5 A Dying Universe: The Long-Term Fate and Evolution of Astrophysical Objects I Introduction II The end of conventional stellar evolution III Death of the galaxy IV Long-term fate of degenerate stellar objects V Long-term evolution of the universe VI Summary and discussion Acknowledgments References Chapter 6 Heat Death in Ancient and Modern Thermodynamics 1 The Problem of Heat Death: A Historical Introduction 2 The ancient solution 3 The modern solution 4 Conclusion Bibliography Chapter 7 Entropy and Eschatology: A Comment on Kutrovátz’s Paper “Heat Death in Ancient and Modern Thermodynamics” 1 Introduction 2 Alternative answer to the heat death problem 3 Modern cosmology and some errors in Kutrovátz’s account 4 Discussion: Physical eschatology and open systems Acknowledgments Notes Bibliography Chapter 8 The Generalized Second Law Implies a Quantum Singularity Theorem 1 Introduction 2 The Second Law of Thermodynamics 3 Generalized Thermodynamics Theorems 4 Applications 5 Does It Still Work for Quantum Gravity? 6 Conclusion Acknowledgments Appendix Notes References Conclusion Therefore, the Universe Has a Cause Chapter 9 Libertarian Agency and the Craig/Grünbaum Debate about Theistic Explanation of the Initial Singularity Notes Chapter 10 Causation and the Logical Impossibility of a Divine Cause1 1 Introduction 2 Causal definitions and the notion of an originating divine cause 3 Causes and logically sufficient conditions 4 Analogical and literal descriptions 5 Objections to the arguments that God cannot be a cause 6 Conclusion: Cosmological and teleological arguments for God’s nonexistence Notes Chapter 11 Beyond the Big Bang The Alternatives Before Us The supernaturalist alternative Naturalistic objections Conclusion Notes Bibliography Permissions Index The ancient kalam cosmological argument maintains that the series of past events is finite and that therefore the universe began to exist. Two recent scientific discoveries have yielded plausible prima facie physical evidence for the beginning of the universe. The expansion of the universe points to its beginning-to a Big Bang-as one retraces the universe's expansion in time. And the second law of thermodynamics, which implies that the universe's energy is progressively degrading, suggests that the universe began with an initial low entropy condition.0The kalam cosmological argument-perhaps the most discussed philosophical argument for God's existence in recent decades-maintains that whatever begins to exist must have a cause. And since the universe began to exist, there must be a transcendent cause of its beginning, a conclusion which is confirmatory of theism. So this medieval argument for the finitude of the past has received fresh wind in its sails from recent scientific discoveries. This collection reviews and assesses the merits of the latest scientific evidences for the universe's beginning. It ends with the kalam argument's conclusion that the universe has a cause-a personal cause with properties of theological significance. ISBN Volume 1: 9781501330797 Did the universe begin to exist? If so, did it have a cause? Or could it have come into existence uncaused, from nothing? These questions are taken up by the medieval-though recently-revived-kalam cosmological argument, which has arguably been the most discussed philosophical argument for God's existence in recent decades. The kalam's line of reasoning maintains that the series of past events cannot be infinite but rather is finite. Since the universe could not have come into being uncaused, there must be a transcendent cause of the universe's beginning, a conclusion supportive of theism. This anthology on the philosophical arguments for the finitude of the past asks: Is an infinite series of past events metaphysically possible? Should actual infinites be restricted to theoretical mathematics, or can an actual infinite exist in the concrete world? These essays by kalam proponents and detractors engage in lively debate about the nature of infinity and its conundrums; about frequently-used kalam argument paradoxes of Tristram Shandy, the Grim Reaper, and Hilbert's Hotel; and about the infinity of the future