=====begin Maimonides=============================
...For in the case of any complex composed of parts,
which cannot cause a certain act to become perfect
except through the cooperation of each one of its
parts, none of these parts is an agent in respect
to its own essence or the first cause of the act;
that first cause is the coming-together of the
parts of the complex. Now it has been demonstrated
that it is a necessary conclusion that what is
necessary of existence can have no cause. Moreover
the coming-together of the parts of the complex
represents a certain act, which requires a another
agent, namely, one who causes the parts of the
complex to come together. Now if the agent who
causes the parts of the complex to come together--
without which the act cannot become perfect--is one,
he is indubitably the deity. If, however, this agent
who causes the parts of this complex to come together
is another complex, the same conclusions follow
necessarily with regard to this second complex as
with regard to the first. Thus there can be no doubt
about ultimately reaching One who is the cause of
the existence of the existent, which is one, whatever
the manner of this may have been: whether through
creating it in time after it had been nonexistent,
or because it proceeds necessarily from this One.
It has thus become clear, also according to this
method, that the fact that all that exists is one,
indicates to us that He who caused it to exist is one.
--Maimonides, <The Guide to the Perplexed> as quoted by
J. J. Clarke in <Voices of the Earth: an Anthology of
Ideas and Arguments>, George Braziller, Inc., 1994,
pp. 54-55.
====end==========================================
"The metaphysical proofs for the existence of God
are so remote from human reasoning and so involved
that they make little impact, and, even if they did
help some people, it would only be for the moment
during which they watched the demonstration, because
an hour later they would be afraid they had made a
mistake."
-- Pascal <Pensees>
Brian Harper
Associate Professor
Applied Mechanics
The Ohio State University
"All kinds of private metaphysics and theology have
grown like weeds in the garden of thermodynamics"
-- E. H. Hiebert