In the third post of this series, we shall be looking at the last of the different types of cosmological argument, the cosmological argument(s) of Thomas Aquinas. This argument is derived from the first two of Aquinas' Five Ways. The argument goes as follows:
1. There exists a series of causes.
2. This series of causes cannot be infinite.
3. Therefore, there exists a first cause that is itself uncaused.
We've already touched upon this somewhat in the post on the Kalam argument. However, the kind of series being referred to in each argument is different. Whereas the Kalam is talking about a successive series, the cosmological argument of Thomas Aquinas is referring to a simultaneous series.
A successive series is where each cause produces its effect in sequence, much like a chain of dominoes knocking each other over. Whereas, in a simultaneous series, the causes in the chain exist and act upon each other at the same time, much like a locomotive pulling a series of train cars.
It should be clear that, even were a train composed of an infinite number of train cars, it would not move without a train engine. So, even if the past series of events in time is infinite, there would still need to be a first cause according to this argument.
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