Question

Belief in God is universal. After all, "everybody believes in God"

a) the parenthesis IS the conclusion of the argument
b) the parenthesis text IS NOT the arguments conclusion
c) there is no argument, and therefore no conclusion

Answer 1

Arguments for the existence of God rely on philosophical reasoning, but often encounter logical fallacies such as circular reasoning or 'begging the question.' No singularly definitive argument has emerged, reflecting the ongoing philosophical debate.

Step-by-step explanation:

The discussion provided revolves around classic philosophical and theological arguments for the existence of God. The statements present concepts like contingency and necessity, possible worlds, and risks and rewards related to belief to form arguments for God's existence. However, critical analysis also reveals instances of circular reasoning, where certain arguments assume God's existence in an attempt to prove it, which is a logical fallacy known as 'begging the question'.

For example, premise 2 in one argument presumes divine inspiration of the Bible to subsequently argue for God's existence, inherently assuming the conclusion within the premise. Similarly, arguments invoking the cosmological or ontological frameworks present their own logical sequences to substantiate the affirmation of a deity. However, such arguments are noted to have both strong and weak points, indicating that no single argument has conclusively swayed the consensus towards belief or non-belief.

The exploration of these arguments reflects the complexity and ongoing debate within philosophy regarding the existence of a deity.