The Kalām Cosmological Argument: Scientific Evidence for the Beginning of the Universe

Title Page......Page 4
Copyright Page......Page 5
Contents......Page 6
Acknowledgments......Page 7
Foreword......Page 8
Introduction......Page 10
Versions of the cosmological argument......Page 11
Chapter summaries of The Kalām Cosmological Argument: Scientific Evidence for the Beginning of the Universe......Page 17
Notes......Page 19
2.3 Scientific confirmation......Page 21
Section III Summary......Page 53
IV Quantum gravity......Page 54
Notes......Page 78
References......Page 84
1 Introduction......Page 89
2 The doctrine of creation and its warrant......Page 91
3 Cardinality and sizes of infinity......Page 95
4 Modern cosmology and creation......Page 96
5 Tolerance or intolerance toward singularities?......Page 99
6 Leibniz against incompetent watchmaker?......Page 101
7 Induction from earlier theories’ breakdown?......Page 102
8 Stellar collapse implies theistic destroyer......Page 103
9 Stacking the deck for GTR......Page 105
10 Quantum gravity tends to resolve singularities......Page 106
11 Vicious God-of-the-gaps character......Page 107
12 Fluctuating or inaccessible warrant......Page 108
13 Big Bang cosmology not especially congenial to faith......Page 109
References......Page 111
1.0 Introduction......Page 119
2.0 The singularity argument formulated......Page 120
3.0 The singularity argument assessed......Page 122
4.0 Physical evidence for premise (2)......Page 126
5.0 The beginning of the universe......Page 146
Acknowledgments......Page 149
Notes......Page 150
References......Page 154
The Penrose singularity theorem......Page 159
Eternal inflation......Page 160
The Borde-Guth-Vilenkin theorem......Page 161
God’s proof......Page 162
Appendix: Mathematical details......Page 164
Notes......Page 166
I Introduction......Page 168
II The end of conventional stellar evolution......Page 169
III Death of the galaxy......Page 179
IV Long-term fate of degenerate stellar objects......Page 192
V Long-term evolution of the universe......Page 210
VI Summary and discussion......Page 228
References......Page 236
1 The Problem of Heat Death: A Historical Introduction......Page 241
2 The ancient solution......Page 242
3 The modern solution......Page 244
Bibliography......Page 251
2 Alternative answer to the heat death problem......Page 252
3 Modern cosmology and some errors
in Kutrovátz’s account......Page 255
4 Discussion: Physical eschatology and open systems......Page 258
Bibliography......Page 259
1 Introduction......Page 261
2 The Second Law of Thermodynamics......Page 263
3 Generalized Thermodynamics Theorems......Page 269
4 Applications......Page 280
5 Does It Still Work for Quantum Gravity?......Page 291
6 Conclusion......Page 295
Appendix......Page 297
Notes......Page 299
References......Page 301
Conclusion Therefore, the Universe
Has a Cause......Page 306
Chapter 9 Libertarian Agency and the Craig/Grünbaum Debate about Theistic Explanation of the Initial Singularity......Page 308
Notes......Page 318
2 Causal definitions and the notion of an originating divine cause......Page 321
3 Causes and logically sufficient conditions......Page 326
4 Analogical and literal descriptions......Page 331
5 Objections to the arguments that God cannot be a cause......Page 332
6 Conclusion: Cosmological and teleological arguments for God’s nonexistence......Page 337
Notes......Page 339
The Alternatives Before Us......Page 342
The supernaturalist alternative......Page 345
Naturalistic objections......Page 346
Conclusion......Page 354
Notes......Page 355
Bibliography......Page 357
Permissions......Page 362
Index......Page 365