Surrendra Gangadean

Surrendra Gangadean is a Professor of Philosophy at Paradise Community College in Phoenix, Arizona whose new book Philosophical Foundation: A Critical Analysis of Basic Beliefs attempts to prove the existence of God from reason.

Gangadean uses Cornelius Van Til's presuppositional technique, with the basis on reason instead of Scripture, to deduce from Reason that God exists. Here are the basic steps:

# Reason is clear, because it is self evident and innate; consisting of the law of identity (a=a), the law of the excluded middle (a or not-a), and the law of non-contradiction (not both a and not-a in the same respect and at the same time).
# Existence is clear, because of the law of identity (a must exist). Temporal is clear, because of the law of non-contradiction (a and not-a at different times). Eternal is clear, because of the law of the excluded middle (not-temporal).
# Existence is eternal (no beginning and without change) or temporal (has a beginning)… Eternal existence is clear; because if all existence was temporal then being came from non-being, this violates the law of the excluded middle (no difference between a and not-a).
# All things are eternal or some is eternal… The existence of the self or mind is clear; because of the ability to think, thought is an action and action proves existence (law of non-contradiction, a to not-a). Mind is conscious (self aware), temporal (not all knowing), and has no extension. The existence of matter is because clear; (1) my mind does not have total control (more than I exists), (2) my mind has some control and involuntary sensations (I am not part of another’s mind), (3) unlike minds, there is existence, outside of all minds, that has extension and no consciousness. It is clear that matter (that which is extended and not conscious) is temporal; because it is not self maintaining (entropy), had a beginning, and changes. Some is eternal.
# Eternal, nonmaterial existence is clear. The existence of God is clear; because eternal existence caused matter to come into existence (no other source), so an intelligent (evidenced by order and complexity), all powerful (created out of nothing), and all knowing (intelligence and eternality) Creator exists.

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