The First Cause
by Rod Jackson
If we admit that the cosmos exists then it must either be
1) Uncaused (Eternal)
2) Self-caused or
3) Caused by something other than itself.
1) Can be dismissed because of the scientific evidence of a beginning of this cosmos and the philosophical difficulties with time being eternal.
2) Is logically impossible and thus can be disregarded. Consider -
A does not exist
A causes A
A exists.
Obviously this is impossible (how can something that doesn't exist cause anything?)
So we are left with 3). Now the cause in 3) [the thing other than the cosmos] must exist because of either -
1), 2) or 3)
2) Is always logically impossible. 3) Now leads to an infinite regress and thus via Occam's Razor we can dismiss "multiplying causes unnessessarily". Thus we are left with 1).
This means that an eternal cause of the cosmos exists. Now what can be said about this cause (let's call it the first cause or FC)?
The FC must either be ordered or disordered (chance). If it is chance then it can only give rise to truly random cosmos (no natural law). In such an instance one could not do rational scientific enquiry.
So the rational person will admit that the eternal FC must be ordered (logical).
Now this ordered eternal FC will be either personal or impersonal.
When there is a single cause of an event then we can assume that the cause must be greater than the effect. That is, the cause must have the same or greater information content than the produced effect. One cannot cause what one does not know how to cause. This should be obvious - how can something cause spmething that it doesn't have the ability (information content) to cause! However, this would include the psychological laws that make people, persons. Thus the FC must also have these laws so some part or all of the FC must be personal!
The only possible way around this (that I can think of) is by saying that there are multiple causes but no single cause that caused the cosmos to exist. Each part of these multiple causes may have a different psycological law but no one cause has them all, so no part is personal. However if we postulate this then we must justify why these cause work together - (remember that the FC must be ordered, as perviously argued). Now either this comes about by a common cause of these causes (this cannot be as the FC is eternal but even if it was the case then the common cause must have the psycological laws and hence must be personal) or they are not really seperate causes but the one being and thus it must be personal.
So we have seen that the FC must be ordered, eternal and personal. This First Cause of the cosmos is personal and so is not a force but must be some type of god!