The

Development

Of

Cosmology

Pre-Socratic PhilosophersThales sixth century BCAll matter can be reduced to waterHeraclitusEverything is in a state of flux and therefore everything is subject to changeDemocritus fifth century BCAtomismAll matter is made up of very small particles

Plato

All that we see and experience are copies of unseen realitiesForms and UniversalsImplications for religious belief and science: the real is beyond what we experience in this world and is hidden in the eternal

Aristotle 384–322BC

A turn towards experienceMetaphysicsFour Causes

Material CauseFormal CauseEfficient CauseFinal Cause

Profound influence on Christian thought through St Thomas Aquinas

Aristotle continued

Unmoved moversWhat causes something to move?Is this an infinite series?An uncaused cause?St Thomas Aquinas – Cosmological Argument: God is the uncaused cause of the world!

Ptolemy of Alexandria second century BC

Medieval Christian CosmologyMixture of Biblical imagery, Plato, Aristotle and Ptolemy

PtolemyEarth is centre of the universeSurrounded by glass spheres on which planets and stars movedTen spheres: seven for the planets, eighth was for stars, ninth was invisible and moved others, and tenth was the dwelling of God

Ptolemy continued

The Earth made of four elementsEarthWaterAirFireMovement was a result of the tendency of the elementsMovement of heavens is perfect and followed the perfect form, a circleImplications for later scientific theories!

St Augustine of Hippo (354–430)

God is reflected in his creationThe highest feature of creation is the human personGod is reflected in the human personWonder at the splendour of creation should lead us to acknowledge the existence of GodPrecursor of the Argument from Design

The Kalam Argument

Kalam (Arabic): to argue or discussTwo Muslim scholars – al-Kindi (ninth century AD) and al Ghazali (1058–1111 AD)Cosmological – Seeks to prove God is the creator of the universe

Kalam argument continued

The present exists because at some point it began to existThe universe began to exist and must be finiteBecause the universe exists, it must have a cause for its existenceTherefore the universe has a first cause of its existenceThat first cause is God

St Thomas Aquinas 1224–1274Brilliant philosophical and theological mindDeveloped a synthesis between Aristotle’s metaphysics and Christian theologyBasis of his Five Ways into exploring the existence of GodNatural philosophy and religion naturally open up into each otherAristotle’s Prime Mover/First Cause becomes central to the Christian view of the world