1. The
Development Of
Cosmology

2. Pre-Socratic Philosophers
Thales sixth century BC
All matter can be reduced to water
Heraclitus
Everything is in a state of flux and therefore everything is subject to change
Democritus fifth century BC
Atomism
All matter is made up of very small particles
Atomism: Amazing anticipation of modern thinking. They observed that water could change to ice or ssteam and concluded that they all had a common basis.

3. All that we see and experience are copies of unseen realities
Plato
All that we see and experience are copies of unseen realities
Forms and Universals
Implications for religious belief and science: the real is beyond what we experience in this world and is hidden in the eternal
What we see on earth, for example a flower, is only a reflection of a more perfect and ideal flower. This ideal leads us beyond appearences and changes to the world of eternal and unchanging forms.

4. Aristotle 384–322BC A turn towards experience Metaphysics Four Causes
Material Cause
Formal Cause
Efficient Cause
Final Cause
Profound influence on Christian thought through St Thomas Aquinas
Classifed the sciences. Our knowledge comes from turning towards phenomena not turning away from it life Plato.
Metaphysics= Lit. After the physics – the philosophy of being, examining the reality of things .
Efficient cause = To be the agent of cause
Final Cause = For Christian thought became God

5. What causes something to move? Is this an infinite series?
Aristotle continued
Unmoved movers
What causes something to move?
Is this an infinite series?
An uncaused cause?
St Thomas Aquinas – Cosmological Argument: God is the uncaused cause of the world!
Note: At this stage in the development of cosmology, there is no distinction between science and philosophy. Metaphysics – which is really the branch of philosophy developed by Aristotle that has had most influence in the West- really means after or beside s physics. Physics was originally called ‘natural philosophy’.

6. Ptolemy of Alexandria second century BC
Medieval Christian Cosmology
Mixture of Biblical imagery, Plato, Aristotle and Ptolemy
Ptolemy
Earth is centre of the universe
Surrounded by glass spheres on which planets and stars moved
Ten spheres: seven for the planets, eighth was for stars, ninth was invisible and moved others, and tenth was the dwelling of God

7. Ptolemy continued The Earth made of four elements Earth Water Air Fire
Movement was a result of the tendency of the elements
Movement of heavens is perfect and followed the perfect form, a circle
Implications for later scientific theories!

8. St Augustine of Hippo (354–430)
God is reflected in his creation
The highest feature of creation is the human person
God is reflected in the human person
Wonder at the splendour of creation should lead us to acknowledge the existence of God
Precursor of the Argument from Design

9. The Kalam Argument Kalam (Arabic): to argue or discuss
Two Muslim scholars – al-Kindi (ninth century AD) and al Ghazali (1058–1111 AD)
Cosmological – Seeks to prove God is the creator of the universe

10. Kalam argument continued
The present exists because at some point it began to exist
The universe began to exist and must be finite
Because the universe exists, it must have a cause for its existence
Therefore the universe has a first cause of its existence
That first cause is God
Although you can have a theoretical infinite, you cannot have an actual infinite. At some point the universe could have, or could not have, come into existence. When two things are possible, it is argued, what will actually happen will depend on the will of an agent. Because the universe actually exists, then that aganet must exist and that agent is God.

11. St Thomas Aquinas 1224–1274
Brilliant philosophical and theological mind
Developed a synthesis between Aristotle’s metaphysics and Christian theology
Basis of his Five Ways into exploring the existence of God
Natural philosophy and religion naturally open up into each other
Aristotle’s Prime Mover/First Cause becomes central to the Christian view of the world