PHIL 347 ACTUAL EXAM 1 QUESTIONS
WITH CORRECT ANSWERS 2026
What is the basic structure of the cosmological (kalam, craig, plato-philoponus) argument -
CORRECT ANSWER-1. Everything that begins to exist has a cause
2. the universe began to exist
therefore the universe has a cause
what is the first a priori argument regarding premise 2 of the Kalam - CORRECT ANSWER-The
universe has to have a cause as it cannot be infinite because that implies there there is an actual
infinity of real events
Why can there not be actual infinites of real events? - CORRECT ANSWER-Because that would
lead us to deny Euclid's axiom that the whole is always larger than its parts
what is the second a priori argument regarding premise 2 of the Kalam - CORRECT ANSWER-
Even if we allow for infinities of real events, the universe cannot be eternal or infinite, as that
would mean that it would've had to have traversed all through a past infinity of events, which is
a set of infinite steps
What are a posteriori arguments for premise 2 of the Kalam - CORRECT ANSWER-Big bang
cosmology, big bang singularity, empirically observed background radiation, thermodynamics - if
universe is eternal then we would have run out of energy
Russells objections to second premise of the Kalam - CORRECT ANSWER-Set theory has shown
that there can be actual infinities of real objects, therefore this undermines a priori argument
that the universe needs a start date. This is based on the assumption that numbers are real
objects and that consistency implies possibility
WITH CORRECT ANSWERS 2026
What is the basic structure of the cosmological (kalam, craig, plato-philoponus) argument -
CORRECT ANSWER-1. Everything that begins to exist has a cause
2. the universe began to exist
therefore the universe has a cause
what is the first a priori argument regarding premise 2 of the Kalam - CORRECT ANSWER-The
universe has to have a cause as it cannot be infinite because that implies there there is an actual
infinity of real events
Why can there not be actual infinites of real events? - CORRECT ANSWER-Because that would
lead us to deny Euclid's axiom that the whole is always larger than its parts
what is the second a priori argument regarding premise 2 of the Kalam - CORRECT ANSWER-
Even if we allow for infinities of real events, the universe cannot be eternal or infinite, as that
would mean that it would've had to have traversed all through a past infinity of events, which is
a set of infinite steps
What are a posteriori arguments for premise 2 of the Kalam - CORRECT ANSWER-Big bang
cosmology, big bang singularity, empirically observed background radiation, thermodynamics - if
universe is eternal then we would have run out of energy
Russells objections to second premise of the Kalam - CORRECT ANSWER-Set theory has shown
that there can be actual infinities of real objects, therefore this undermines a priori argument
that the universe needs a start date. This is based on the assumption that numbers are real
objects and that consistency implies possibility
