What is infinite regress in religion?
An infinite regress is an infinite series of entities governed by a recursive principle that determines how each entity in the series depends on or is produced by its predecessor. In the epistemic regress, for example, a belief is justified because it is based on another belief that is justified.
What is the problem with infinite regress?
The fallacy of Infinite Regress occurs when this habit lulls us into accepting an explanation that turns out to be itterative, that is, the mechanism involved depends upon itself for its own explanation.
Is an infinite regress possible?
For a number of reasons — including perhaps a desire to feel that we have a complete understanding of where we came from, or at least an understanding which is completely sufficient for all of our purposes — there is a strong tendency to suppose that an infinite regress of causes and effects is impossible.
Who believed in infinite regress?
Aristotle
Aristotle (Nicomachean Ethics, 1094a) thought that some things were good because we desire them for the sake of something else that is good. But if everything that is good is good simply because it aims at something else that is good, this would lead to a regress and “all desire would be futile and vain”.
What is the infinite regress argument philosophy?
Infinite Regress Arguments attempt to refute a position by showing that the position leads to an absurd infinite sequence. This argument strategy is used in collaborative reasoning in everyday life, in science and in philosophy. It is especially prominent, and easy to study, in Plato and Aristotle.
Is an infinite regress absurd?
As seen in the example given to us by Aristotle, regress arguments can be constructive; that is, they are used as justifications for belief. For Aristotle, infinite regression presents as something absurd.
Why is infinite regress absurd?
Suppose that every finite and contingent being has a cause, and that every cause is a finite and contingent being. This yields a regress that is absurd. Hence: it is not the case that every cause is a finite and contingent being. There must be a first cause which is not finite or contingent, namely God.
What is infinite regress in the cosmological argument?
An infinite regress is an infinite series of entities governed by a recursive principle that determines how each entity in the series depends on or is produced by its predecessor. An infinite regress argument is an argument against a theory based on the fact that this theory leads to an infinite regress.
What causes infinite regression?
You are talking about an infinite regress of causes. Every cause must be proceeded by another cause ad infinitum. In philosophy, an infinite regress is an indication of absurdity. The necessity for a prime cause (uncaused by a prior cause) to combat this absurdity is an argument for the existence of god.
Does Aquinas believe in infinite regress?
Thomas Aquinas often wielded the idea of an infinite regress in his theological and philosophical treatises. In the famous Five Ways, the notion of the impossibility of a regress of events or operations plays a key role in each of the first three proofs for God’s existence.