Course:Meetings for teaching/Existence of God/Teleological/study questions/SAQ 1-6

3. On Cause and Effect (Some Answered Questions, Ch. 1, Par. 6)

Questions: Explain the "root and branch" argument in plain language, including how to respond to the objection that "branches grow fruits that roots don't have."

Sample Answer: The argument states that a cause (the root) cannot produce a capacity in an effect (the branch) that is fundamentally absent from its own nature. While a physical branch may bear fruit that the root lacks outwardly, the genetic potential for that fruit exists throughout the whole organism. Likewise, if humanity possesses consciousness, the capacity for mind must be inherent in the primary Source of reality, rather than an accidental byproduct of mindless matter.