Jesus solves the problem of infinite regress
Five big problems for philosophers include:
- The problem of morality and the human condition (laws of morality)
- The problem of infinite regress (the origin of the universe)
- The problem of teleology (laws of nature)
- The problem of consciousness (the existence of the self)
- The problem of ontology (meaning and significance of human beings)
Today I'd like to show how Jesus solves problem number 2, infinite regress.
Description of the problem: Since any finite object that begins to exist must have been caused, simply pushing causes back to infinity does not solve the problem. Since our universe is full of objects that have beginnings, either the universe must be eternally old, or there must be some other, uncaused cause. However, the universe is not infinitely old. This seems to be a paradox or contradiction: what caused that first cause, if there was one? And if there wasn’t a first cause, how could we possibly be here?
Philosophically, it seems that in the real universe infinite causal regression is both inescapable and wrong! "If there is an infinite regression of causes, then by definition the whole process could never begin.” Infinite causal regression is a logical fallacy and impossible.
Description of the solution: Jesus claimed to be the solution to this problem by asserting that he was the uncaused cause, the Hebrew God who caused the universe to come into existence (Genesis 1:1; John 1:1), who was himself uncaused.
Perhaps the universe really is eternally old, and today's scientists simply got it wrong. And yet, infinite causal regression in an infinitely old universe is a philosophical contradiction. The existence of an uncaused cause seems philosophically unavoidable and also is supported by science.
A well-known scientist (some say it was Bertrand Russell) once gave a public lecture on astronomy. He described how the earth orbits around the sun and how the sun, in turn, orbits around the center of a vast collection of stars called our galaxy. At the end of the lecture, a little old lady at the back of the room got up and said: "What you have told us is rubbish. The world is really a flat plate supported on the back of a giant tortoise." The scientist gave a superior smile before replying, "What is the tortoise standing on?" "You're very clever, young man, very clever," said the old lady. "But it's turtles all the way down!"
Or, as I believe, Jesus, the uncaused cause of our universe, holds everything together (Colossians 1:17).
This blog article is an excerpt from my book: Five Languages of Evidence: How to Speak about Reasons for Christianity in a Post-truth World. Not yet published; available upon request. The problem of causal regression and related issues are addressed more fully in the book, Chapter 8.
Next post: The Problem of Hell