7/14/2014 Questions about the Cosmological Argument | Reasonable Faith

http://www.reasonablefaith.org/questions-about-the-cosmological-argument 1/5
Home
Q & A
Questions about the Cosmological Argument
#319
May 20, 2013
Questions about the Cosmological Argument
Dear Dr. Craig
Im a Muslim student from Iran. Ive been really interested in your arguments and writing especially
since I saw your works on Kalam cosmological argument. We have learned cosmological argument
from contingency and along with my classmates we think that it really sounds. We considered the
answers to objections made by Russell, Hume and etc.
I had two questions sir
1. Do many philosophers believe that no current version of cosmological argument does not sounds?
And if so, what is the reason?(at least in your idea)
You once wrote in one of your comments that actually there s nothing all philosophers believe with no
doubt! Is this the same or are they really retracted in current philosophy?
2.my second question is about your personal carrier. Some atheists argue that you couldnt find
academic acceptance and thus you come up to advance public s knowledge, this made us sad. What is
the truth sir?
I would really be thankful if you would answer me. I know youll probably receive many comments. I
d wait no matter how long it takes
Best regards,
Anonymous
Iran
My anonymous friend, it's a thrill for me to receive a letter like this from Iran. I'm so pleased that you
have found the material that Reasonable Faith offers to be helpful.
With respect to your questions,
1. Doubtless, the majority of philosophers in the West do not think that any version of the cosmological
argument or, indeed, any argument for the existence of God is sound. Otherwise they would be theists!
But although atheism is a philosophy in retreat among American philosophers, it is still the dominant
viewpoint. So obviously they reject all forms of the cosmological argument. In response to your
question as to why this is the case, I cannot speak to the psychological motivations of such persons but
must consider at face value the arguments they give for their perspective. Ive tied to interact
responsibly with their proffered arguments and found most of them pretty unimpressive and the rest not
7/14/2014 Questions about the Cosmological Argument | Reasonable Faith
http://www.reasonablefaith.org/questions-about-the-cosmological-argument 2/5
insuperable. See my published work on the arguments in its different versions. Theres just no getting
around doing the homework of considering the arguments pro and con.
Yes, it was my friend Quentin Smith, who, in response to my statement that the view he was espousing
was controversial, remarked, "Bill, in philosophy everything is controversial!" That may have been
hyperbole, but certainly there is no consensus on theism, as there are intelligent people on both sides of
the debate. All of the classical theistic arguments, including cosmological arguments, have able
defenders today.
2. Your second question makes me laugh. My consciously adopted strategy is to publish on both a
scholarly and a popular level. So, for example, I wrote the trilogy God, Time, and Eternity; The Tensed
Theory of Time; and The Tenseless Theory of Time. Then I popularized the same material in the book
Time and Eternity. Ironically, the atheists you describe have typically not bothered even to read the
popular books, much less the scholarly publications. Their only familiarity with my work is through
YouTube videos for mass audiences. But lest anyone thinks that I have ceased to do rigorous academic
work, I invite you to take a look at the record of my publications. It speaks for itself.
What this criticism really amounts to, I suspect, is an ad hominem attack on the part of popular-level
atheists to excuse their lack of refutation of the arguments. Not only is such an attack fallacious, as we
all know, but, it is, ironically, in my case also a failure.
by William Lane Craig
|
Submit your question to Dr. Craig
More Q & A
Receive our free Newsletter
Get Dr. Craig's newsletter and keep up with RF news and events.
Subscribe to Dr. Craig's newsletter
Support Reasonable Faith
Reasonable Faith on Twitter
Reasonable Faith on Google Plus
Reasonable Faith on YouTube
Reasonable Faith RSS Feeds
7/14/2014 Questions about the Cosmological Argument | Reasonable Faith
http://www.reasonablefaith.org/questions-about-the-cosmological-argument 3/5
Translations
News
RF Chapters
Calendar
Store
Donate
Search
Writings
Scholarly Articles
Articles published in peer-reviewed journals
Popular Articles
Intended for a general audience
Debates
Select transcriptions of Dr. Craig's debates
7/14/2014 Questions about the Cosmological Argument | Reasonable Faith
http://www.reasonablefaith.org/questions-about-the-cosmological-argument 4/5
Q & A
Weekly question and answer
Media
Video / Audio
Debates, Talks, and Interviews
Reasonable Faith Podcast
Conversations with William Lane Craig
Defenders Podcast
Class on Christian doctrine and apologetics
Current Events Blog
Audio commentary on current events
Forums
About RF
William Lane Craig
Mission
Testimonials
Press Kit
Newsletter
Links
RF Gear
Contact Us
Help
Support Reasonable Faith
Manage Donations
My Profile
Submit a Question for Dr. Craig
7/14/2014 Questions about the Cosmological Argument | Reasonable Faith
http://www.reasonablefaith.org/questions-about-the-cosmological-argument 5/5
RF Mobile Application
for iOS: iPhone / iPad
for Android
RF Community
Forums
Facebook
Twitter
Google+
YouTube
Reasonable Faith
About RF
William Lane Craig
Testimonials
RF Chapters
Press
Privacy Policy
Contact us
Reasonable Faith Translations
Copyright Reasonable Faith. All rights reserved worldwide. Reasonable Faith is a registered 501(c)(3)
non-profit organization.