Introduction

Abstract

The cosmological argument is an argument type that attempts to infer the existence of a supernatural being (usually identified with God) from supposed facts about the universe, for example, that the universe exists, or that the universe is contingent because it could have not existed, or that the universe came into existence. Since the cosmological argument is an argument type, the phrase ‘the cosmological argument’ is usually used in the plural form to refer to the family of theistic arguments (a theistic argument is an argument in favour of theism or God’s existence) that follow the pattern of inferring God’s existence from alleged facts about the universe. The cosmological argument is often classified into the following three types (Craig, The cosmological argument from Plato to Leibniz. Wipf and Stock Publishers, Eugene, 2001):