The Kalam Cosmological Argument

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The Kalam Cosmological Argument is a modern philosophical and theological defense of the claim that the universe has a cause for its beginning, most prominently developed and popularized by Christian philosopher William Lane Craig.

All labels observed (4)

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Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf argument for the existence of God
cosmological argument
philosophical argument
theological argument
aimsToShow existence of a personal creator of the universe
differsFrom classical cosmological arguments
emphasizes temporal beginning of the universe
focusesOn causal principle for things that begin to exist
hasConclusion Therefore, the universe has a cause
hasHistoricalPrecursor Al-Ghazali
linked to: al‑Ghazali

Al-Kindi
Islamic kalām tradition
linked to: Islamic kalam
hasNameOrigin Arabic term kalām (theology, discourse)
hasPremise Everything that begins to exist has a cause
The universe began to exist
hasPrimaryProponent William Lane Craig
infersAttributeOfCause enormous power
immateriality
personal agency
spacelessness
timelessness (prior to creation)
isAssociatedWith Christian apologetics
cosmology
metaphysics
natural theology
philosophy of religion
isCriticizedBy Adolf Grünbaum
Graham Oppy
Quentin Smith
isCriticizedFor controversial causal principle
inferences about the nature of the cause
isDebatedIn contemporary analytic philosophy
isDefendedBy William Lane Craig
isDefendedIn On Guard (book)
linked to: On Guard

Reasonable Faith (book)
linked to: Reasonable Faith

The Kalam Cosmological Argument (book)
isFormulatedIn syllogistic form
isLinkedTo Big Bang cosmology
Hilbert's Hotel thought experiment
concept of actual infinity
thermodynamics
isUsedBy Christian apologists
isUsedIn debates on atheism and theism
originatedIn medieval Islamic philosophy
supportsConclusion The universe has a transcendent cause
usesSupportFrom philosophical arguments against an actual infinite past
scientific evidence for a beginning of the universe
wasSystematicallyReformulatedBy William Lane Craig

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (7)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

William Lane Craig hasWritten The Kalam Cosmological Argument
William Lane Craig hasWritten The Kalām Cosmological Argument, Volume 1
linked to: The Kalam Cosmological Argument
William Lane Craig hasWritten The Kalām Cosmological Argument, Volume 2
linked to: The Kalam Cosmological Argument
Creation out of Nothing relatedWork The Kalam Cosmological Argument
God Over All relatedWorkAuthor The Kalam Cosmological Argument
Reasonable Faith relatedWorkByAuthor The Kalam Cosmological Argument
Kalam Cosmological Argument isDefendedIn The Kalam Cosmological Argument (book)
subject linked to: The Kalam Cosmological Argument
linked to: The Kalam Cosmological Argument