So does Quinquae Viae by Saint Thomas Aquinas effectively prove the existance of God (or a god)?

Question

Why or why not?

If you are a Christian (or even non-Christian) and don't know who Saint Thomas Aquinas is, you really ought to get your nose out of the bible sometimes to read works of the great Christian philosophers.

Answer 1

Nothing proves the existence of God, or any god. Most of Aquinas' arguments have, as a premise, that an infinite regress is not possible. That's highly debatable. Aquinas also concludes, without cause, that the point of termination must be God. That makes no sense, it's wishful thinking.

Answer 2

When one looks at non-theistic models for existence such as physicist and cosmologist Max Tegmark's "The Mathematical Universe" the flaws in the Quinquae Viae arguments become obvious.

For instance the first cause argument has two problems: the failure to conceive that time is not fundamental, and the resulting illusory nature of causation, as well as a lack of the imagination necessary to interpret the first "cause" as mathematical tautological necessity, instead of a god, likely because of Aquinas's previous misunderstanding of the derived nature of time itself.

Answer 3

No.
1. Special pleading.

2. Special pleading.

3. Special pleading.

4. False assumption.

5. False assumption.

Answer 4

Aquinas was possibly the smartest man to ever live. But no, he didn't prove squat. A brilliant read though. The arab philospher (name!?) has similiarly convincing arguments but they just don't pan out.