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Single Idea 5614

[from 'Summa Theologicae' by Thomas Aquinas, in 28. God / B. Proving God / 3. Proofs of Evidence / a. Cosmological Proof ]

Full Idea

To those who assume the existence of a necessary being, and would only know which among all things had to be regarded as such a thing, one could not answer: This thing here is the necessary being

Gist of Idea

If you assume that there must be a necessary being, you can't say which being has this quality

Source

comment on Thomas Aquinas (Summa Theologicae [1265]) by Immanuel Kant - Critique of Pure Reason A612/B640

Book Reference

Kant,Immanuel: 'Critique of Pure Reason', ed/tr. Guyer,P /Wood,A W [CUO 1998], p.573


A Reaction

See Aquinas in Idea 1431. Kant makes a nice point. You might turn out to be the necessary being? How could you tell? You only know that there must be one lurking somewhere. I could be a slug. Aquinas makes a huge leap to God.

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