First order logic, set theory and God

[Neo-Scholastic]

Does this proof establish that there was a first cause? Maybe.
Does it establish that the first cause was God? No, it does not.

You have raised fair objections.

Such demonstrations (it would be improper to call them proofs) are nested in the assumptions of Scholastic philosophy. And that tradition’s notion of causality is based on quiddity instead of the modern notion of causality that is based on inferences from temporal sequences of events. Dr0n3 and those arguing against him are just talking past one another, each claim the other doesn’t have the proper understanding of causes.

Personally, I think any objection needs to show that either 1) the demonstration does not work within the Scholastic framework or 2) the Scholastic framework is in-itself fatally flawed. I don’t see how you could achieve 1) and option 2) takes the conversation in a whole different direction with multiple questions in play.

As to whether or not the First Cause is God, I agree that on its own the demonstration does not tell us much about the nature of the First Cause. The best it does is raising the possibility of an impersonal God of the Philosophers, i.e. one that would satisfy Plotinus.

That said, saying the First Cause could only be the God of the Philosophers is not warranted. But it is certainly a reasonable candidate for First Cause. And it is every bit as reasonable to suppose that Allah, the Christian Godhead, or Brahman serve as the First Cause, although I think the differences in these, with respect to First Cause, are negligible; although again, my knowledge of other religious traditions is not deep enough to state this as fact.

At the same time, I have not seen a strong naturalistic candidate for First Cause. The universe as it is currently known by physics certainly doesn’t quality because it has both potency and act and is subject to change. So while someone cannot positively assert that First Cause is Divine without making an argument from ignorance, it seems to be the best tentative option.