The Existence of God - Essay Example

The Existence of God One of the great philosophical questions of all time has been the debate regarding whether or not God truly exists. For those who believe there is such a being, it can be said that God exists simply on the principle that perception is reality. If one perceives something exists, then for that person, it is, to some extent, real. For those who have questioned God’s existence, something most people have done at some point in their lives, proof is necessary to satisfy the mind’s craving for logic so as to reaffirm the physiological desire to believe. This in itself presents a deep philosophical paradox regarding the concept of faith, how can a logical mind believe in something (i.e. have faith) that, through obtaining proof, can no longer exist as faith is dependent upon a lack of proof? In the search for proof, another problem arises when God is thought of as a physical being because if this were true, God must have been created by something else, which is inconsistent with the belief that God created everything including time and space. The nature of God’s being cannot be imagined and certainly not positively identified; therefore the proof must be found in observing events that could occur only as the result of a creator. The question regarding the true nature of God, whether He actually exists or is merely a mass figment of the human being’s imagination, has plagued mankind regardless of their religious devotion through the centuries. The head must confirm what the heart wants to believe or doubts will never completely desist, it’s simply a fact of human nature. For the person to be truly satisfied that they have reached the correct conclusion, critical thinking must be employed. In considering the philosophical questions of whether or not God exists, it is helpful to have a concept of what is presented through the physical and astrological sciences as well as an idea of what our philosopher’s have said on the matter. Without critical thought, a person that says they believe in God is using faulty reasoning. Without using their mind and questioning why they believe a certain way, their mind will constantly question what is believed whether this is the desire of the individual or not. Occam’s Razor is but one example of how critical thinking is practically employed in considering the question. This centuries-old principle remains a staple of the scientific thought process to this day. It states that “Entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily.”  Isaac Newton restated this principle: “We are to admit no more causes of natural things than such as are both true and sufficient to explain their appearances” (Gibbs, 1996). More simply stated, ‘All things being equal, the simplest explanation is probably the correct one.’ Atheists have used this example of critical thought, specifically Newton’s version, to debunk the existence of God. However, they themselves are not sufficiently employing the critical thinking process. While it is true that the existence of a God cannot be definitively proven, it can neither be disproved as well. Those that claim a ‘knowledge’ that God either does exist or does not lacks the ‘critical spirit’ and leads one to wonder about other aspects of their lives that they claim to know as a true. A critical thinker is quite unashamed to admit they do not know even when they choose to believe. Maintaining an ‘open mind’ regarding one’s own reasoning and thoughts as they relate to other’s perspectives prevents an egocentric outlook on the question of God’s existence. It introduces the concept that someone else might be equally correct in their beliefs even when seemingly ideologically opposite. This thinking process that encourages open-mindedness necessitates that an individual always be ready to seriously contemplate the idea that they may also be wrong in their beliefs. It also requires the critically thinking individual to be willing to modify their own perceptions and beliefs when new information is offered providing more plausible or even provable results, such as when Galileo proved that the earth revolved around the sun rather than the sun revolving around the earth as had been taught by the church. Open-mindedness develops personal convictions and principles. An individual’s position on an issue should be subject to reconsideration and they should allow themselves to critically reflect on their beliefs. “The test of open-mindedness is whether or not we are prepared to entertain doubts about our views” (Hare, 1987: 99). In addition, just because moral positions are subject to reassessment does not imply that the individual therefore must take a skeptical approach to them. The purpose behind critical reasoning is not simply to consider another’s perspective but to reexamine one’s own perspective along with many others. It is only in this way that the truth can be known. Thus, critical reasoning can neither prove nor disprove the existence of God, but instead opens up entire worlds of reflective possibility. In recent years, many have endeavored to prove God’s existence by means of scientific analysis which is a discipline built on the foundation of critical thought. According to the Big Bang Theory, the entire universe was born from a colossal explosion of matter around 12 Billion years ago. If the elements or the reactions contained within the Big Bang occurred in a slightly different manner, life could not have existed. The chances of this cataclysmic event developing exactly as it did by mere accident in a way that life could exist is infinitesimally small, maybe ten billion to one which therefore suggests, by those same odds, that a creator exists. According to noted Cornell University physicist Stephen Hawking, “...the universe and the laws of physics seem to have been specifically designed for us. If any one of about 40 physical qualities had more than slightly different values, life as we know it could not exist: Either atoms would not be stable, or they wouldn’t combine into molecules, or the stars wouldn’t form the heavier elements, or the universe would collapse before life could develop, and so on...” (Hawking, 1997). According to scientific theory, new forms of energy and matter cannot be created or destroyed and cells can only develop from pre-existing cells via the splitting and reassembly of DNA molecules. The known physical universe cannot create matter and it takes life to make life, both realities provide evidence of a supernatural involvement in the creation (Briney, 2007). The astrological sciences therefore also fail to definitively answer the question of whether God exists, again turning the question over to philosophy. One of the first things that Descartes proved in his philosophical questioning reported in Meditation III of Discourse on Method was that he had a basic idea of the existence of God. Since that idea had to have had a cause of some kind, because he had already proven that nothing comes from nothing, Descartes reasoned that this cause must have at least as much reality as the idea itself. At the same time, since he did not consider himself infinitely perfect despite his ability to conceive of such a thing, Descartes reasoned he could not have been the cause of this idea, so there must be an outside cause that is infinitely perfect – in other words, God must exist. Through his meditations, Descartes claims, “I know that I could not exist with my present nature – that is, I could not exist with the idea of God in me – unless there were really a God. This must be the very God whose idea is in me, the thing having all of the perfections that I can’t fully comprehend but can somehow reach with thought, who clearly cannot have any defects. From this it’s obvious He can’t deceive – for, as the natural light reveals, fraud and deception arise from defect” (Descartes, 1637). While even Descartes left numerous holes in his reasoning to ‘prove’ God exists, he does not disprove the possibility either. While science continues the mad rush to determine whether or not there truly is a Supreme Being of some sort guiding and protecting his true adherents, the closest anyone has come to a definitive answer has been a resounding ‘maybe’. Nevertheless, it remains philosophy and critical thinking that have driven research and prompted questions well worth considering when seeking the answer to this unanswerable question. Works Cited Briney, Patrick. “Evidence for the Existence of God.” (2007). University of Arkansas. October 18, 2007 Descartes, R. Discourse on Method. Vol. XXXIV, Part 1. The Harvard Classics. New York: P.F. Collier & Son, 1909–14; Bartleby.com, 2001. October 18, 2007 Gibbs, Phil. “What is Occam’s Razor?” The Physics and Relativity FAQ. (1996). October 18, 2007 Hare, William. “Open-mindedness in Moral Education: Three Contemporary Approaches.” Journal of Moral Education. Vol. 16, N. 2, (1987), pp. 99-107. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press. Hawking, Stephen. Austin American Statesman. (October 19, 1997). Read More