(December 1, 2022 at 7:50 am)LinuxGal Wrote:(November 30, 2022 at 9:47 pm)Belacqua Wrote: Yeah, we've been through this before. By "just happen" you are ruling out a temporal efficient cause.
This does not rule out causes as Aristotle uses the term.
For example, for radioactive decay to occur, there must be several prior conditions (=causes).
Among these causes: there has to be something to decay. There has to be a universe in which it can decay. There have to be laws of nature such that radioactive decay is possible. There has to be time and space in which it can decay.
The fact that there is no temporal efficient cause doesn't change the per se series of causes of which Aristotle and Thomas write.
Having all your ducks in a row doesn't actaully cause the fall of one of the ducks.
Probably we should give up on the word "cause" because you're still using it in a different sense from Aristotle or Thomas.
In order for radioactive decay to occur, several αἰτία are essentially prior.
Among these αἰτία: there has to be something to decay. There has to be a universe in which it can decay. There have to be laws of nature such that radioactive decay is possible. There has to be time and space in which it can decay.
Anyway, this has nothing to do with Kalam. Thomas' "second way" is different, and he explicitly rejects logical proofs for temporal causes of the universe.
