PHI 2010 Review Questions on Anselm, Aquinas, Edwards, Paley, James,
                             Pascal, Leibniz and Swinburne

• What are the primary non-philosophical arguments for God's existence?  How do they work, and what are their limitations? Re-create the first three of Aquinas' arguments for the existence of God.
• On what major principles does the Cosmological Argument depend?  Briefly describe and define these principles (PSR,
• Rejection of an infinite regress, PUC).
• Be able to describe and explain the major critiques of the Cosmological Argument which are detailed in the article by Paul Edwards.  Concentrate especially on the "many gods" proposal, the "Eskimo" example, Schopenhauer's comments on the PUC, and why an infinite regress may be possible and even desirable.
• Re-create the Ontological Argument for God's existence.  What are some major critiques of this argument?
• How does the Ontological Argument differ from the Cosmological?
• What are the two primary formulations of the Teleological Argument?
• What is the "Birthday Fallacy"?
• What are at least three major critiques of the Teleological Argument?
• In "The Will to Believe," how are 'hypothesis,' 'option,' and 'genuine option' defined?  How is this related to the will to
• believe?
• What is Pascal's Wager?  What are the essential elements of this position?  What are some major criticisms of it?
• Define 'theodicy'
• Be able to define/describe the notions of actual and possible worlds/universes; actual and potential histories; the Principle of Sufficient Reason (PSR), the Principle of Perfection (POP), and the notions of 'metaphysical' and 'moral' necessity.
• In Leibniz's system of thought, how are the existence of God and the existence of evil reconciled?
• For Swinburne, how are 'evils' distinguished and defined?
• Explain how Swinburne attempts to defeat the arguments of the antitheodicist.