(April 28, 2016 at 2:02 am)wiploc Wrote: If we're talking about the partaverse, not including, say, gods, then, yes your argument is valid. But all you've proven is that some stuff had causes. Big whoop.
Or, if we're talking about the allaverse, and we haven't equivocated (that is, if we were also talking about the allaverse in P2) then the argument is valid, but it "proves" that your god had a cause.
And, if "universe" refers to a partaverse in P2 but refers to the allaverse in the conclusion, then the argument is not valid.
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If we're just talking about the partaverse, I don't know why we're talking at all. The intent of the first cause argument, as I understand it, is to establish the ultimate cause of everything.
If we're talking about the allaverse, then your god (if it exists) is also caused, and that entirely defeats your claim to have established an uncaused cause.
P1 said "whatever begins to exist has a cause". If P1 and P2 are true, then the conclusion is true. We inductively reason what could be the cause of the universe (or its predecessors). That entity would be:
eternal-uncaused-did not begin to exist (avoids the infinite causal chain problem)
timeless (existed before time)
non-physical (exists before all of physical matter existed)
has intent (decided to create something rather than not create something)
powerful enough to make something out of nothing
This is all the conclusions we get from this particular question. Note I did not conclude the God of the Bible.