Analysis Of Saint Thomas Aquinas Third Way Essay

1.) Introduction In analyzing Saint Thomas Aquinas’s Third Way I will first identify the structure of the argument and then I will define some terms that are vital in understanding the argument. Next I will state the premises and conclusion of his argument in my own words. Then I will identify an objection to premise one and finally I will attempt to articulate a rebuttal to that objection. St. Thomas Aquinas’ Third Way is a reductio ad absurdum argument. The structure of the modal cosmological argument first identifies a certain proposition and then disproves that proposition by showing an absurdity to which it leads when carried to its logical conclusion. St. Thomas uses three terms in his argument that are important to clarify: †¢ Possible: a statement that could happen regardless of how ridiculous it sounds. †¢ Necessity: that which must be actual †¢ Contingent: something which is possibly true or possibly false 2. Aquinas’s Third Way 1. We find in nature some things that are contingent. 2. If there are things which are contingent then such things have not always been in existence 3. If everything is contingent then at one time there was nothing in existence. 4. If there was nothing in existence then there is nothing in existence now. 5. Such a statement is absurd because some things now exist. 6. Therefore, there must be something which exists out of necessity, namely God. 3. An Objection to Premise One Blessed John Duns Scotus states an objection to St. ThomasShow MoreRelatedThe Relationship Between Philosophy And Theology1433 Words   |  6 Pagesthough, see the two subjects of study as collaborative instead. And just as intellectuals of our Church today support the relationship which is otherwise seen as faith and reason, so too did the intellectuals Thomas Aquinas and Bonaventure reinforce it in the thirteenth century. 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