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Is the Number of Prior Causes and Durations Infinite? An Assessment of the Current Literature

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God and Ultimate Origins

Part of the book series: Palgrave Frontiers in Philosophy of Religion ((PFPR))

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Abstract

The question of ultimate origins is related to whether an actual infinite temporal regress is possible. I assess the contemporary scientific literature and show that there is no adequate evidence for any of the cosmological models which propose an infinite temporal regress. I note that Craig has offered two philosophical arguments against an infinite temporal regress (the argument for the impossibility of traversing an actual infinite and the argument for the impossibility of concrete actual infinities), and that critics have raised various objections. I do not think these objections are unanswerable, and I summarise my replies to them. Nevertheless, there is a novel way to demonstrate that there is a First Cause of time without requiring these arguments, which I explain in the next chapter.

The original version of this chapter was revised: A missing paragraph has been included. The erratum to this chapter is available at https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57547-6_8

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  1. University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong

    Andrew Ter Ern Loke

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Loke, A.T.E. (2017). Is the Number of Prior Causes and Durations Infinite? An Assessment of the Current Literature. In: God and Ultimate Origins. Palgrave Frontiers in Philosophy of Religion. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57547-6_2

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