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It provides clear definitions and explanatory arguments, including analogy and Hume’s argument from analogy for a designer of the universe, Aquinas’ Three Ways (first cause, efficient causes, and necessary being), and concepts such as atemporal causation. It also introduces Hare’s notion of bliks, the causal principle, and positions about how religious language can be meaningful.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":20,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/exam/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/metaphysics-of-god-subject-specific-vocabulary-definitions-of-key-terms-and-arguments/619542/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/metaphysics-of-god-subject-specific-vocabulary-definitions-of-key-terms-and-arguments/619542.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Noah","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-30","2026-10-20",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":19},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What is analogy in the context of Metaphysics of God terms?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"Analogy compares one thing (or set of things) with another to clarify or explain similarities. The text illustrates this with an example of human life compared to a journey with phases and goals.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"How does Hume’s argument from analogy support the existence of a designer?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"It argues that the universe shows many “machinelike” systems with “means fitted to ends.” By analogy, effects that resemble machine outcomes have causes resembling intelligent design, leading to the inference of a divine designer.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"What do Aquinas’ Three Ways each attempt to prove?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"The 1st Way argues from change/motion to a first, sustaining cause. The 2nd Way argues from an order of efficient causes to a first efficient cause. The 3rd Way argues from contingent beings to a necessary being that accounts for them.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},619542,1793061587,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":19,"category_name":20,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":19,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145,"preview_page_count":4},8796095462418,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/80000253c1241d02b47?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1778826106357471780","Subject specific vocabulary: Metaphysics of God  \nThe following subject specific vocabulary provides definitions of key Metaphysics of God terms used in our A-level Philosophy (7172) specification.  \nYour students should be familiar with, and gain understanding from all these terms and arguments.  \nAnalogy  \nA comparison drawn between one thing (or set of things) and another thing (or set of things), whereby similarities are identified for the purposes of clarification or explanation (e.g. the comparison of human life with a narrative or journey: all can be broken into temporal phases – with a beginning, a middle, and an end – and are characterised by the goals of the agents involved etc) .  \nAnalogy (Hume’s argument from)  \nAn argument (attributed by Hume to Cleanthes) for the existence of a designer of the universe (God) . The argument begins with the observation that the universe consists of many machinelike systems or artefacts with ‘means fitted to ends’. Appealing to the rules of analogy, Cleanthes argues that like effects have like causes, and as we know that machines are created by intelligent design (human), we can infer that the universe is likewise created by intelligent design, albeit the intelligence is far greater (divine) given the grandeur of the universe.  \nAquinas’ 1st Way  \nA deductive cosmological argument which argues from the existence of change (traditionally translated as ‘motion’) in the world to the existence of a first (and sustaining) cause of change: an unchanged changer (or ‘unmoved mover’) .  \nFor Aquinas, change is the actualisation of some potential (e.g. cold water has the potential tobe hot) which can only be brought about by something that is already actual in a causally relevant sense (e.g. the water is heated by the flame which is actually hot) . It is therefore‘impossible that in the same respect and in the same way’ something should be both the changer and the changed: i.e. things cannot change themselves, but are changed by others who actualise their potential.  \nThis series of changers caused by other changers cannot go on to infinity, because without a first changer there would be no subsequent changers. So, there must be a first cause of change which is not itself changed, and this is presented by Aquinas as one way of understanding God.  \nAquinas’ 2nd Way  \nA deductive cosmological argument from the existence of an order of ‘efficient causes’ in the world (of causes and their effects) to the existence of a first efficient (and sustaining) cause of these (ordered) ‘efficient’ causes.  \nNothing can be the efficient cause of itself because it would have to be prior to itself, which is impossible. An infinite series of efficient causes is also impossible, as without a first efficient cause there would be no intermediate causes and no ultimate (or present) causes. Therefore, there must be a first efficient cause, and this first efficient cause is presented by Aquinas as one way of understanding God.  \nAquinas’ 3rd Way  \nA deductive cosmological argument from the existence of ‘possible’ (or contingent) beings in the world to the existence of a ‘necessary’ being which accounts for the existence of possible (or contingent) beings.  \nThe generation of possible beings is either explained by other possible beings or by necessary beings. If every being was merely possible then at one time there would have been nothing in existence, and as nothing can come from nothing, there would be nothing in existence now. But there is something in existence now. So, there must be at least one necessary being.  \nThe necessity of a being is either caused by another necessary being or it belongs to the nature of that being. There cannot be an infinite series of necessary beings deriving their necessity from each other, as without a first necessary being there would no other necessary beings. So, there must be some being whose necessity is not derived from any other being, and which causes necessity in other be","cbCaik8NA7N7F6Ks","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaik8NA7N7F6Ks","pdf",222876,11,"English","# Subject specific vocabulary\n## Analogy\n## Analogy (Hume's argument from)\n## Aquinas' 1st Way\n## Aquinas' 2nd Way\n## Aquinas' 3rd Way\n## Atemporal causation\n## Blik (Hare)\n## Causal principle\n## Causal principle (Hume's objection to)\n## Cognitivism (about religious language)","[{\"question\":\"What is analogy in the context of Metaphysics of God terms?\",\"answer\":\"Analogy compares one thing (or set of things) with another to clarify or explain similarities. The text illustrates this with an example of human life compared to a journey with phases and goals.\"},{\"question\":\"How does Hume’s argument from analogy support the existence of a designer?\",\"answer\":\"It argues that the universe shows many “machinelike” systems with “means fitted to ends.” By analogy, effects that resemble machine outcomes have causes resembling intelligent design, leading to the inference of a divine designer.\"},{\"question\":\"What do Aquinas’ Three Ways each attempt to prove?\",\"answer\":\"The 1st Way argues from change/motion to a first, sustaining cause. The 2nd Way argues from an order of efficient causes to a first efficient cause. The 3rd Way argues from contingent beings to a necessary being that accounts for them.\"}]","Metaphysics of God - Subject specific vocabulary - Definitions of key terms and arguments | PDF",1792463051,28]