An Analysis of Cosmological Demonstrations and its Comparison with Possibility and Necessity Demonstration in Islamic Philosophy

In the explanation of cosmological demonstrations for proving God’s existence, the expressions of possibility and necessity are used somehow that some have imagined that the two proofs are one proof with two expositions. While presenting an analysis of the cosmological demonstration in its historical reformation in this article, three major movements will be shown for it: explaining the proof in the Greek thought, Thomas’s exposition, and finally its Leibnitz exposition. Then explaining the characteristics of these forms of cosmological proofs, and after showing the central elements of possibility and necessity demonstration in Islamic philosophy, the differences of these two proofs has been explained, especially regarding the philosophical elements existing in them. In addition, the major criticisms of cosmological demonstrations are studied and the relation between these criticisms and the possibility and necessity demonstration has been studied.