Activity 01
Argument Jigsaw
In small groups, students are given the jumbled premises of Aquinas's First Three Ways and the Kalam argument on separate strips of paper. Their task is to reconstruct the arguments in the correct logical order and identify the conclusion.
Explain the key premises of the Kalam cosmological argument.
Facilitation TipProvide a glossary of key terms like 'actuality', 'potentiality', and 'contingent' to support them.
What to look forAn A-Level style essay question, such as 'Critically evaluate the view that the cosmological argument proves God exists'.
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Activity 02
Critic's Corner Debate
Assign students or groups the roles of key thinkers (e.g., Aquinas, Craig, Hume, Russell). Stage a formal debate on a motion such as 'This house believes the universe requires a First Cause'.
Analyse the concept of a 'necessary being' as used in Aquinas' Third Way.
Facilitation TipEncourage students to use specific quotes or paraphrased arguments from the philosophers they are representing.
What to look forStudents work in pairs to create a diagram or flowchart that visually represents one of the cosmological arguments and its key objections.
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Activity 03
Science vs. Philosophy?
In pairs, students research how a specific scientific concept, like the Big Bang theory or quantum mechanics, interacts with a premise of a cosmological argument. They then present a short summary of whether modern science supports or refutes the argument.
Evaluate the criticism that the cosmological argument commits the fallacy of composition.
Facilitation TipRemind students that many proponents, like William Lane Craig, see the Big Bang as supporting evidence for their claims.
What to look forStudents use a 'confidence tracker' to rate their ability to explain each argument, its key terms, and its main criticisms before and after the topic.
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Generate Complete Lesson→A few notes on teaching this unit
Begin by grounding the argument in the simple question: 'Why is there something rather than nothing?'. Use analogies like a line of dominoes to explain causation and the problem of an infinite regress. Scaffold the move from Aquinas's Aristotelian language to the more modern scientific framing of the Kalam argument to ensure concepts are accessible.
By the end of this topic, students will be able to clearly articulate different versions of the cosmological argument and critically evaluate whether they provide a convincing case for a First Cause.
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
The argument proves the existence of the God of a specific religion, like the Christian God.
The arguments, if successful, only conclude in the existence of a powerful, uncaused, necessary being. Further arguments would be required to establish specific divine attributes like omnibenevolence or to link this entity to a particular religious tradition.
If everything has a cause, then what caused God?
This misrepresents the premise. The Kalam argument, for example, states that 'everything that begins to exist has a cause'. Proponents argue that God is eternal and never began to exist, so the premise does not apply to God.
The Big Bang theory disproves the cosmological argument.
This is a point of debate. Many modern proponents, such as William Lane Craig, argue that the Big Bang theory, by suggesting the universe had a beginning, actually supports a key premise of the Kalam cosmological argument.
Methods used in this brief