Table of Contents

Acknowledgments Foreword Introduction Paul Copan (Palm Beach Atlantic University, USA) Part 1. Whatever Begins to Exist Has a Cause 1. A New Critique of Theological Misinterpretations of Physical Cosmology Adolf Grünbaum (University of Pittsburgh, USA) 2. Prof. Grünbaum on the ‘Normalcy of Nothingness’ in the Leibnizian and Kalam Cosmological Arguments William Lane Craig (Talbot School of Theology, USA) Part 2. The Universe Began to Exist Deductive Arguments 2.1 Argument based on Impossibility of Existence of an Actual Infinite 3. Must Metaphysical Time Have a Beginning? Wes Morriston (University of Colorado Boulder, USA) 4. Craig on the Actual Infinite Wes Morriston (University of Colorado Boulder, USA) 5. On the Beginning of Time: A Reply to Wes Morriston Concerning the Existence of Actual Infinities Andrew Loke (University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong) 6. No Beginning, No Explanation: The Kalam Cosmological Argument and the Principle of Sufficient Reason David S. Oderberg (University of Reading, UK) 7. Excerpt from Arguing about Gods Graham Oppy (Monash University, Australia) 8. Graham Oppy on the Kalam Cosmological Argument William Lane Craig (Talbot School of Theology, USA) 9. Heartbreak at Hilbert’s Hotel Landon Hedrick (University of Nebraska - Lincoln, USA) 10. No Heartbreak at Hilbert’s Hotel: A Reply to Landon Hedrick Andrew Loke (University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong) 11. Finitism and the Beginning of the Universe Stephen Puryear (NC State University, USA) 2.2 Argument based on the Impossibility of Formation of an Actual Infinite by Successive Addition 12. Traversal of the Infinite, the ‘Big Bang,’ and the Kalam Cosmological Argument David S. Oderberg (University of Reading, UK) 13. The Tristram Shandy Paradox: A Response to David S. Oderberg Graham Oppy (Monash University, Australia) 14. The Tristram Shandy Paradox: A Reply to Graham Oppy David S. Oderberg (University of Reading, UK) 15. Methuselah's Diary and the Finitude of the Past Ben Waters 16. The Grim Reaper Kalam Argument: From Temporal and Causal Finitism to God Robert C. Koons (University of Texas at Austin, USA) 17. Endless Future: A Persistent Thorn in the Kalam Cosmological Argument Yishai Cohen (Syracuse University, USA) 18. The Kalam Cosmological Argument William Lane Craig (Talbot School of Theology, USA) Permissions Index

Promotional Information

Anthology of the best recent work, from both a philosophical perspective, on the kalam argument for a transcendent cause of the universe's existence.

About the Author

William Lane Craig is a Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology and at Houston Baptist University, USA. He has authored or edited over forty books, including Theism, Atheism, and Big Bang Cosmology (1995), God, Time, and Eternity (2001), and God Over All (2016), as well as over 150 articles in journals such as The Journal of Philosophy, American Philosophical Quarterly, Philosophical Studies, Philosophy, and British Journal for Philosophy of Science. Paul Copan is the Pledger Family Chair of Philosophy and Ethics at Palm Beach Atlantic University, USA. He is the author or editor of thirty books, including Creation Out of Nothing: A Biblical, Philosophical, and Scientific Exploration (with William Lane Craig; 2004), The Rationality of Theism (co-edited with with Paul K. Moser; 2003), The Routledge Companion to Philosophy of Religion (co-edited with Chad V. Meister; 2007; 2nd ed. 2012) and Philosophy of Religion: Classic and Contemporary Issues (co-edited with Chad V. Meister; 2007). He has contributed essays and written reviews for journals such as The Review of Metaphysics, Faith and Philosophy, Philosophia Christi, and Trinity Journal.

Reviews

The two volumes of Copan’s The Kalam Cosmological Argument, without a doubt, constitute an excellent collection of essays that for years to come will be the place to start for those interested in a profound analysis of the problems and merits of the Kalam cosmological argument.
*Reading Religion*

The best possible collection on the kalam cosmological argument one could wish for. The contributors to the book, who represent some of the most profound thinkers of our time, tackle fundamental questions concerning the existence of God and the origin of the universe through their discussion of the simple yet extremely powerful argument.
*Yujin Nagasawa, Professor of Philosophy, University of Birmingham, UK*

This collection brings together some of the most important recent criticisms and defenses of a crucial step in the much-discussed kalam cosmological argument. The question at issue is whether the universe (that is, all of contingent reality) must have a finite past. Here, one will find contemporary philosophers alternately defending and attacking the idea that the past could have been infinite. The essays are well-chosen and interlocking, with the exciting thrust-and-parry of an ongoing philosophical debate. The volume is the ideal place to start for anyone contemplating this fascinating question.
*Dean Zimmerman, Professor of Philosophy, Rutgers University, USA*

The kalam cosmological argument remains an intriguing theistic argument that raises numerous critical philosophical questions. This must-read volume brings together leading edge figures to address key issues surrounding this argument and in doing so has genuinely broken new ground.
*Michael Murray, Senior Vice President of Programs, John Templeton Foundation, USA*