Q&A: Response to the Faith and Science Series
Response to the Faith and Science Series
Question
Hello Rabbi, regarding the series on science and faith / belief that the Rabbi wrote in ynet the Rabbi used the physico-theological proof
My question is: to the best of my understanding, there is a doubt in this proof, because speaking about a first cause is speaking about a state that is prior to reality, and that state is not necessarily subject to the laws of our reality. Therefore I understand that this is not a proof (there is no necessity for causality before reality)?
I would be happy to receive an answer, thank you.
Answer
If I understood your question correctly, you are basically asking what the basis is for the assumption that the principle of causality, which is true for our reality, was also true before the world was created (since by its force we proved that it was created by some cause). My answer is that the principle of causality is not supposed to be limited by time, but perhaps by types of entities. The entities familiar to us from the world are not self-caused, but were created by something/someone, and from here comes the principle of causality regarding them. Other entities perhaps do not need a cause. The entities in our world came into being in creation, and with regard to them the principle of causality applies regardless of time. Beyond that, even in our world the principle of causality is not a result of simple observation but an a priori assumption. So there is no obstacle to applying it to other contexts/times.
Discussion on Answer
It's hard for me to discuss things across such gaps. You didn't understand me correctly. I'm not claiming that the principle of causality is subjective. My claim is that it is objective, but it pertains to things within our experience and not to other things. But with regard to the things within our experience, it is correct to apply it even before there was man and before the world was created (more precisely: to the very moment of creation itself). What I said was that the principle of causality does not derive from observation but from a priori reason, but that does not contradict the fact that it pertains to material entities (those within our experience) and not to every entity.
According to the Rabbi, its foundation comes from external contemplation of the idea of causality or something like that.
If so, who created it? 🙂
The One who created everything.
If the world was created just like that, without causality, why don't such glitches happen nowadays too?
Oops, I wandered over the keyboard again and a comment came out.
Best regards, Shunra Catulovsky
Hello Rabbi,
According to the second part of the answer, I understand that this is a priori (that is, it depends on consciousness), and we are talking about a reality before human consciousness…
That is, everything that depends on human consciousness is included in causality, but everything that is prior to it is not included in causality.
According to this, the proof is still unclear to me.
I would be happy to receive an answer, thank you.