Final answer:
The question asks whether the existence of God is necessary for explaining the universe, a core philosophical debate. Various philosophical arguments, both for and against the existence of God, are explored, including the cosmological argument and counterpoints that question the need for a divine creator.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question at hand is whether everything that is traditionally explained by the presence of a supreme deity, “God,” can be explained without invoking divine agency. This is a central debate in the domain of philosophy, particularly within the subfield concerning the philosophy of religion.
The rebuttal of the Cosmological Argument for the existence of God challenges the premise that the universe requires an initial cause, suggesting that if a creator God is an exception to the causal chain, then why can't the concept of energy itself be the exception? It argues that conceiving an infinite, uncaused deity is as mentally taxing as conceiving of an infinite process of causation without a beginning.
A different argument posits that, according to Anselm's understanding, God's existence is a necessary condition for the conception of the greatest being; hence, God must exist both in understanding and in reality. However, detractors question this by asking if God is all-powerful and all-good, why would there be evil in the world? Should not an omnipotent deity be able to bestow an understanding of good without the existence of evil?
Within these lines of thought, one may consider philosophical ideas from other traditions, such as Eastern thought, which tackle the origin and order of the universe without necessitating a divine creator. In such traditions, concepts like karmic causality can provide a framework for understanding order and justice in the world without direct appeal to a divine being. However, explaining the well-ordered nature of this causality can become complex without a divine regulatory construct.
Ultimately, the arguments for and against the necessity of God to explain aspects of our universe represent a rich tapestry of debate and thought in philosophy and theology.