Physicalism and Big Bang Cosmology
| Abstract | I will discuss the relationship between physicalism and classical Big Bang Cosmology, and argue that the physicalist must hold to the notion that the Universe came into being out of literal nonbeing with no cause, if this person is to hold to classical Big Bang Cosmology. If my argument is sound, then it entails that a physicalist must do this in order to be consistent with Big Bang cosmology, or either give up physicalism. Theism, on the other hand, does not require that it is possible that being can arise from nonbeing. One may then argue that theism is to be prefered over physicalism, since it is arguably simpler in its assumptions on this question. This may therefore be of interest to Natural (a)Theology. | |||||||||
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Similar books and articlesWilliam Lane Craig (1993). Theism, Atheism, and Big Bang Cosmology. Oxford University Press.
Bryant Keeling (2008). Hartshorne's Process Theism and Big Bang Cosmology Revisited. Process Studies 37 (1):92-103.
Graeme Rhook & Mark Zangari (1994). Should We Believe in the Big Bang?: A Critique of the Integrity of Modern Cosmology. PSA: Proceedings of the Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association 1994:228 - 237.
Hans Halvorson (forthcoming). Theism and Physical Cosmology. In Charles Taliaferro, Victoria Harrison & Stewart Goetz (eds.), Routledge Companion to Theism.
Quentin Smith (1997). Simplicity and Why the Universe Exists. Philosophy 72 (279):125-.
Theodore Schick Jr (1998). The 'Big Bang' Argument for the Existence of God. Philo 1 (1):95-104.
Duncan Macintosh (1994). Could God Have Made the Big Bang? (On Theistic Counterfactuals). Dialogue 33 (01):3-20.
Wes Morriston (2002). Creation Ex Nihilo and the Big Bang. Philo 5 (1):23-33.
Quentin Smith (1992). A Big Bang Cosmological Argument for God's Nonexistence. Faith and Philosophy 9 (2):217-237.
Graham Oppy (1996). Theism, Atheism, and Big Bang Cosmology. Faith and Philosophy 13 (1):125-133.
William W. Thomas (1996). Theism, Atheism, and Big Bang Cosmology. The Review of Metaphysics 49 (3):642-643.
Quentin Smith (1994). Did the Big Bang Have a Cause? British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 45 (2):649-668.
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