Five Proofs of the Existence of God by Edward Feser (PDF)

Description

This book provides a detailed, updated exposition and defense of five of the historically most important (but in recent years largely neglected) philosophical proofs of God’s existence: the Aristotelian, the Neo-Platonic, the Augustinian, the Thomistic, and the Rationalist.It also offers a thorough treatment of each of the key divine attributes—unity, simplicity, eternity, omnipotence, omniscience, perfect goodness, and so forth—showing that they must be possessed by the God whose existence is demonstrated by the proofs. Finally, it answers at length all of the objections that have been leveled against these proofs. This work provides as ambitious and complete a defense of traditional natural theology as is currently in print. Its aim is to vindicate the view of the greatest philosophers of the past— thinkers like Aristotle, Plotinus, Augustine, Aquinas, Leibniz, and many others— that the existence of God can be established with certainty by way of purely rational arguments. It thereby serves as a refutation both of atheism and of the fideism that gives aid and comfort to atheism.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐If you think God exists, read this book. If you don’t think God exists, read this book. If you think it’s impossible for human persons to know, for sure, if God exists, read this book. In short, read this book.Professor Feser shows that if you believe any of the following propositions, you should also believe that God exists:1. Change is real.2. The things we see, experience, and interact with are made up of parts.3. Abstract objects, such as universals, numbers, propositions, and possible worlds exist.4. The things we see have distinct essences and existences.5. The principle of sufficient reason is true.In addition, Professor Feser, in his characteristically succinct and thorough manner, demonstrates that the best objections to these classical proofs for God’s existence simply aren’t very good.Of course, these aren’t the only proofs for God’s existence. Personally, I believe the moral argument is the easiest one to grasp; the Kalam cosmological argument, especially as presented and defended by William Lane Craig, is also very good. The moral argument, specifically as it is made by C.S. Lewis in “Mere Christianity” is what made me realize the objective existence of God. However, the proofs presented in this excellent work by Feser only serve to make more robust my knowledge of God.If you’re an atheist and want to honestly say you’ve encountered the best arguments for God’s existence, read this book.

⭐The book is incredibly unique for the following reasons:1. The arguments presented in the book are often neglected or ignored by mainstream philosophers. This doesn’t mean the arguments are weak by any means, quite the contrary.2. Unlike the Paley’s teleological argument or the Kalam Cosmological argument the arguments in this book are metaphysical demonstrations. That is to say that part of the argument’s strengths come from the fact that they can’t possibly be disproved by some future scientific discovery.3. Feser writes with clarity and presents the arguments straight forwardly. He answers potential objections to the arguments in the same way.4. The final chapter about the nature of God contains a mature defense of the scholastic conception of God’s nature.

⭐SOME HIGHLIGHTS with ADDED SCRIPTURE VERSESTHE ARISTOTELIAN PROOFThe author is NOT trying to prove that everything has a cause.The author IS trying to prove that every change requires a cause.He is NOT trying to prove that if we trace the series of causes back in time, we’ll get to the beginning of the universe, and that God was the cause of that beginning.He IS trying to prove that for any particular thing to exist in the here and now, and at any moment it exists, then it is sustained in the here and now by a purely actual actualizer, which is God.HIGHLIGHTS of 50 POINTS2. Change occurs when potential becomes actual.5. Any change is caused by something already actual.11. A series of concurrent actualizers cannot regress infinitely.14.There is a purely actual actualizer (without potential).21. Since it has no potential, it is immutable (incapable of change), eternal (23), incorporeal (27), perfect (29), fully good (32), and omnipotent (all powerful) (37).43. Has intellect, since the forms and patterns of all things abstractly exist in the mind of the purely actual actualizer.47. Is omniscient, since nothing exists beyond its intellect.50. God exists, since such a purely actual actualizer with no potential has all of these attributes.THE NEO-PLATONIC PROOFThe author is NOT trying to prove that everything that is made up of parts traces back until it terminates in a noncomposite cause.The author IS trying to prove that whatever is composite requires a cause, and this can be traced in the here and now to a simple or noncomposite cause, which is God.HIGHLIGHTS of 38 POINTS1. Everything is made up of parts or composites.4. A composite has a cause of its existence.7. The regress of causes must have a first member that must be absolutely simple or noncomposite (8).15. Since it has no parts, the absolutely simple or noncomposite cause is unchangeable (immutable), and has no beginning or end (eternal) (17).24. The absolutely simple or noncomposite cause is not an abstract entity (which is causally inert), is not material (because it doesn’t have parts) (26), and cannot be a mental content (which presupposes the existence of mind) (28). Therefore, it must be a mind (29).32. This absolutely simple or noncomposite cause is the ultimate cause of everything other than itself.33. It has no potentiality, so it must be purely actual (34).35. A purely actual cause must be perfect, omnipotent, fully good, and omniscient.38. Therefore, God exists, because such an absolutely simple or noncomposite cause has all these attributes.THE AUGUSTINIAN PROOFThe author IS trying to prove that there are abstract objects like universals, propositions, etc., which must exist in a divine intellect.HIGHLIGHTS of 29 POINTS1. There are three possible theories that account for abstract objects such as universals, propositions, numbers and other mathematical objects, and possible worlds:Realism = Abstract objects are real and not just material objects nor merely constructs of the human mind.Nominalism = Abstract objects are not real.Conceptualism = Abstract objects are real, but just constructs in the human mind.3. The nominalist claims there are no universals, for example, like redness, just general terms like “red.”The nominalist says that many people using the word “red” are not appealing to a universal of redness, but just using words that resemble each other. Which makes any kind of communication absurd.4. The conceptualist says that concepts only exist in our minds. But in order to defend how he knows this to be true, and how are minds got this way, the conceptualist must appeal to the very universals he denies (history, culture, biology, social trends).5. So realism is true.6. There are 3 possible versions of Realism:Platonic realism = Abstract objects exist in a “third realm” distinct from the material world or any intellect (7)Aristotelian realism = Abstract objects exist only in human or other contingently existing intellects (8).Scholastic realism = Abstract objects exist not only in contingently existing intellects but also in at least one necessarily existing intellect (9).10. But all abstract objects in the Platonic “third realm” are causally inert. They don’t make anything happen. So, if this was true, how could we even know about them?12. Regarding Aristotelian realism, if abstract objects exist only in human existing intellects, then how do they explain the possibility for a material world and human minds to come into existence PRIOR to the beginning of the human race? What grounded THAT possibility before human intellects existed?14. So Scholastic realism is true.15. Abstract objects cannot ultimately depend upon human intellects because these are contingent. They come into being and pass away. So the only sort of intellect on which abstract objects could ultimately depend for their existence would be an intellect which exists in an absolutely necessary way, an intellect which could not possibly have not existed.19. This necessarily existing intellect would be purely actual (without potential). For example, it doesn’t have the potential to know something. It already knows everything, and always has.22. This intellect holds an infinite number of abstract objects and is therefore omniscient.27. This purely actual intellect must also be omnipotent, fully good, immutable, immaterial, incorporeal, and eternal.29. Therefore, God exists, since these are His attributes (28).THE THOMISTIC PROOFThe author is NOT trying to prove that everything has a cause.The author IS trying to prove that something whose essence and existence are really distinct requires a cause.And, the author IS trying to show that there is one cause whose essence and existence are the same, and that this is God.HIGHLIGHTS of 36 POINTS1. For anything we know from experience (trees, animals, people), there is a distinction between its essence and existence. It is a real distinction (11), and not just a way of thinking about reality (2).16-18. For anything whose essence is distinct from its existence, its existence must be imparted to it by some cause distinct to it, at every moment at which it exists.19. Either this cause is itself something the essence of which is distinct from its existence, or it is something whose essence and existence are identical, something that just is subsistent existence itself.20. This is true for all causes.21. There cannot be an infinite regress of causes, so there must be a first member whose essence and existence are identical.27. This unique cause which is subsistent existence itself is the cause of everything other than itself.32. It has no potential for existence but exists in a purely actual way.33. Therefore, it must be immutable, eternal, immaterial, incorporeal, perfect, omnipotent, fully good, intelligent, and omniscient.36. So, God exists because He has these same attributes.THE RATIONALIST PROOFUsing the principle of sufficient reason (PSR), the author does NOT try to explain that if we trace the existence of a contingent thing backward in time, we will eventually get to God as the cause of its existence.The author IS trying to explain that what causes any contingent thing to exist here and now is a cause which exists necessarily, of its own nature, which is God.HIGHLIGHTS of 27 POINTS1. The principle of sufficient reason (PSR) holds that there is an explanation for the existence of anything.8. PSR is true, because if it was false, common sense would be meaningless (3), we could not trust our own cognitive faculties (4), and science and philosophy would make no sense (7).9. The explanation of the existence of anything is found in some other thing which causes it, which makes it contingent.13 & 16. No series of contingent things can explain why there are any contingent things at all, since the existence of a series of contingent things itself needs to be explained.14 & 17. The only explanation for a the existence of a series of contingent things is a necessary being as cause.19. A necessary being would have to be purely actual (with no potential), absolutely simple (noncomposite), and something which is just subsistent existence itself.24. This necessary being would also be immutable (unchangeable), eternal, immaterial, incorporeal, perfect, omnipotent, fully good, intelligent, and omniscient.27. So, God exists, since He has these same attributes (26).Critics say, “If everything has a cause, then what caused God?”The rationalist does not claim that everything has a cause, but that everything has an explanation.And the rationalist explanation for God is that His own nature is purely actual, simple, and subsistent existence itself.The universe cannot be explained in terms of its own nature because it is not purely actual (because it has potentialities), is not simple (because it is made up of parts), and is not subsistent existence itself (because it is as contingent as its parts are).THE ATTRIBUTES of GODGOD’S UNITYGod is purely actual, with no potential. Can’t there be more than one God? No, because if there were two gods, one would have to have something to distinguish himself from the other one, which would give it potential and not pure actuality. God is therefore unique.”I am God, and there is no one like Me” (Isa 46:9).”There is none like You, O Lord” (Jer 10:6).GOD’S SIMPLICITYGod’s status as First Cause is inseparable from His simplicity.If God was not simple, but instead made up of parts, His existence would be contingent upon someone else, which it is not. If we say that God is made up of His attributes, as if His attributes are parts, we misunderstand that when we say that God has attributes, we are speaking analogically about Him (He has wisdom in a much greater way than we do), and we are not referring to His essence as having parts.God doesn’t HAVE attributes. He IS all of His perfect attributes all the time. He cannot get any better or worse than His absolutely perfect divine essence.”Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!” (Dt 6:4)”God is love” (1 Jn 4:8), “God is light” (1 Jn 1:5), God is life (Jn 14:6).GOD’S IMMUTABILITYChange occurs when potential becomes actual. But God has no potential because He is pure actuality.Therefore, He is immutable.Some say that prior to the creation of the universe and heavenly beings, God was not the Creator, but then became the Creator afterwards, so He changed. But nothing in the essence of God changed when He created the universe. The existence of the universe signified nothing about a change in God. The universe did not exist, and then it did, without God changing one bit.For example, how much power did God have after He created the universe?The exact amount of power He had before He created it, an infinite amount.He did not “rest” because He was tired. The word “rest” means to cease one’s activities. He rested because He had finished His work.”The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, does not become weary or tired” (Isa 40:28).”For I, the Lord, do not change” (Malachi 3:6).”the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow” (James 1:17).GOD’S IMMATERIALITY and INCORPOREALITYGod does not have a body because a body consists of parts, and God has no parts.He is absolutely simple or noncomposite.”God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (Jn 4:33).Jesus said, “Touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have” (Lk 24:39).GOD’S ETERNITY and NECESSITYAnything that has a beginning has parts and potential to change. God has no beginning because He has no parts, no potential, and is absolutely necessary for everything else to exist. There was nothing that caused His existence. He IS existence itself. Therefore, He also cannot pass away. He is eternal.”Before the mountains were born or You gave birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God” (Ps 90:2).”God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM'” (Ex 3:14).Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and THE LIFE; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (Jn 14:6).GOD’S OMNIPOTENCESince the sheer existence of anything at any moment depends upon God’s causing it to exist, its operation or activity at any moment also depends on God. Therefore, nothing exists that does not derive its power from God. So, to be that from which all things derive their power, is to be all-powerful or omnipotent.Also, to have power is to have the capacity to actualize potential. There is no potential that God does not actualize. So He is all-powerful.The Bible says that Jesus, “upholds all things by the word of His power” (Heb 1:3).Jesus said, “All power has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Mt 28:18).”Hallelujah! For the Lord God omnipotent reigns” (Rev 19:6).GOD’S OMNISCIENCEWhatever exists must first exist in God, who causes them to exist. But they don’t exist as material objects in God, as He is immaterial, so they exist in God’s intellect.Also, if God is eternal, and He knows everything about Himself, then His knowledge is infinite.He certainly does not have less knowledge about other things than He has of Himself, so He has all knowledge.”Before there is a word on my tongue, behold, O Lord, You know it all” (Ps 139:4).”in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things” (1 Jn 3:20).GOD’S PERFECT GOODNESSGoodness and badness are not expressions of subjective preference. They refer to the success or failure of something to live up to the standard inherent in the kind of thing it is. Human beings make choices to act in a way that actualizes their potential to flourish, or to frustrate their potential. To be good is to be actual in some way, whereas to be bad is to fail to actualize some potential. God is pure actuality, with no potential to actuate, so He is perfectly good.”How great is Your goodness, which You have stored up for those who fear You” (Ps 31:19).”Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!” (Ps 107:8)GOD’S WILLGod apprehends all the things that could exist, and causes some of those things actually to exist while refraining from causing others of them to exist. Hence, there must exist in Him something analogous to willing the former and not willing the latter.God’s will must also be free, since there is nothing external to Him which compels Him to act as He does.”All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, but He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth; and no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?'” (Dan 4:35)”We have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will” (Eph 1:11).GOD’S LOVETo love is to will what is good for the beloved, whether the lover feels like it or not. God creates all things (He actualizes them) and brings about all that is good for them.”But God shows His love for us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8).”I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who love me and gave Himself up for me” (Gal 2:20).

⭐Terrific stuff from Feser. This is a very readable book and requires little or no familiarity with contemporary academic philosophy (indeed, such familiarity is likely to be an impediment, because much of the supporting metaphysics is “classical”, and therefore likely to be foreign to “moderns”). All technical terms are carefully defined along the way. The structure is very helpful. First a discursive account of each argument is presented, followed by a more formal logical presentation, then various objections are addressed. Of course, no book on this subject is easy, and some effort is required to grasp the unavoidably abstract concepts, but the clarity of the exposition is masterful.

⭐Full disclosure, first of all– I am not only a Catholic, but a Catholic who owes his conversion, to a great degree, to Dr. Feser’s book “The Last Superstition.”In “The Last Superstition”, Dr. Feser was setting forth the arguments of Thomas Aquinas for the existence of God– his celebrated Five Ways. The Five “proofs” in this book are not the “Five Ways” of Aquinas, although they are very similar in many regards. They are “Feser’s” proofs in the sense that he is not trying to expound any other thinker. (Though, of course, they are deeply indebted to previous philosophers.) Many are very similar to each other, to the extent that some may find the book monotonous past the half-way point.This isn’t a “fun” book, in that it does not contain the entertaining polemic of the Las Superstition, or Dr. Feser’s blog. But it will be of interest to those looking for philosophical arguments to buttress their theistic belief, and also to open-minded atheists and agnostics.What struck me, reading this book, is the gap between the level of explanation required by theistic philosophers such as Dr. Feser, and those who embrace scientific materialism. The motto of scientific materialists might simply be Bertrand Russell’s “The universe just is, that’s all”. Dr. Feser shows a reluctance to accept “brute facts” of this kind, and argues that the burden of proof is on those who say we should when there IS an alternative explanation.Of particular interest to me was the Augustinian proof– the third addressed in the book. This (to put it crudely) is the argument that numbers and other abstract objects have a real existence, and must exist in a mind– only the mind of God could hold them all. This was the argument I found most compelling.If you are a religious believer of a philosophical turn of mind, or if you are a seeker open to argument, buy this book. I won’t claim it will make you a theist, but it’s a powerful argument in favour of theism. Highly recommend.

⭐The book may well have been named “Proofs of God”, because in it, Feser brings together in an expert narrative these strands of thought that have come down to us historically, and analyses them also in the light of contemporary criticisms, employing counter arguments also made by contemporary philosophers. All in all an expert treatment of the current state of play of the subject. Feser explains any difficult terminology along the way, while not compromising on the level at which he is pitching the overall text.

⭐If you are really looking for proofs of God, then go work in a hospital of a poor nation. If, on the other hand, you are wondering as to why the arguments of New Atheists “feel” so wrong, even if you cannot argue against them at the moment, then this book is for you…

⭐After reading this outstanding book, I want to read all of Edward Feser’s books. Some might find the text repetitive sometimes, but understanding this subject properly requires repetition over years/decades. But it reads quite well, and addresses any question you can have. It can save you a few years of confusion and misunderstanding.

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