LECTURE 18
THE COSMOLOGICAL
ARGUMENT: ANOTHER
ATTEMPT TO PROVE THAT
SOME THING
NECESSSARILY EXISTS
THERE ARE CONTINGENTLY EXISTING
THINGS
EVERYTHING THAT WE DIRECTLY
PERCEIVE IN THE WORLD SEEMS TO
BE CONTINGENTLY – NOT
NECESSARILY – EXISTENT.
BUT WHAT EXPLAINS THE EXISTENCE
OF CONTINGENT THINGS?
THE SPHERE AND THE PRINCIPLE OF
SUFFICIENT REASON
SUPPOSE YOU WERE HIKING IN THE
WILDERNESS WITH A FRIEND AND CAME
UPON AN TRANSLUCENT SPHERE,
PERFECTLY SMOOTH, AND ABOUT 10
FEET IN DIAMETER.
YOU ASK, “HOW DID THAT SPHERE COME TO BE
HERE?”
YOUR FRIEND SAYS “THERE’S NO EXPLANATION”
THE PRINCIPLE OF SUFFICIENT
REASON
(STRONG VERSION) (PSR) FOR EVERYTHING THAT
IS TRUE OR IS SO, THERE IS A SUFFICIENT
REASON FOR ITS BEING TRUE OR BEING SO.
WE CONSTANTLY APPEAL TO THIS PRINCIPLE IN
EVERYDAY LIFE AND IN SCIENCE.
YOU WOULD NOT ACCEPT YOUR FRIEND’S
ANSWER. WHAT IF THE ANSWER WAS “THAT
SPHERE HAS ALWAYS BEEN HERE”?
EVEN IF IT WEREN’T A SPHERE, BUT
MERELY A BOULDER – THE ANSWER
“THERE IS NO EXPLANATION” WOULD
NOT BE ACCEPTABLE
LET US TENTATIVELY ACCEPT (PSR) AND SEE
WHAT FOLLOWS.
WE ASK:
“WHY ARE THERE ANY CONTINGENT BEINGS
AT ALL?”
THERE MUST BE AN ANSWER BY (PSR)
THE ANSWER CANNOT PRESUPPOSE THAT
THERE ARE CONTINGENT BEINGS OR ELSE
IT WOULD NOT EXPLAIN THE EXISTENCE OF
CONTINGENT BEINGS.
THE ONLY KIND OF EXPLANATION THAT THERE
COULD BE WOULD HAVE TO BE IN TERMS OF
A NECESSARILY EXISTING THING.
THEREFORE,
THERE IS A NECESSARILY EXISTING THING.
VAN INWAGEN’S SIMPLIFIED VERSION
IF WE ASSUME THAT THE (PSR) IS A
NECESSARY TRUTH, THEN THERE
IS A PROOF THAT IF THERE COULD
BE BEINGS (OF ANY KIND), THEN
THERE IS A NECESSARILY
EXISTING BEING.
SUPPOSE THAT THERE IS A
POSSIBLE WORLD IN WHICH
THERE ARE BEINGS. EITHER
THERE IS A NECESSARY BEING
THEREIN – AND IT (NECESSARILY)
EXISTS IN EVERY POSSIBLE
WORLD, HENCE IN THE ACTUAL
WORLD OR
THE OTHER POSSIBILITY
• OR THERE IS A CONTINGENT BEING IN
THAT POSSIBLE WORLD. THE (PSR) MUST BE
TRUE IN THAT WORLD (SINCE IT IS
NECESSARILY TRUE), HENCE THE
EXPLANATION FOR THERE BEING
CONTINGENT BEINGS THEREIN WILL BE A
NECESSARY BEING (AS ALREADY EXPLAINED)
AND IT THEREFORE EXISTS IN THE ACTUAL
WORLD.
IS (PSR) TRUE?
SCIENTIFIC DIFFICULTY: QUANTUM
MECHANICS, AN IMPRESSIVELY SUCCESSFUL
THEORY, IMPLIES (ON ONE OF ITS
INTERPRETATIONS) THAT THERE ARE EVENTS
FOR WHICH THERE IS NO SUFFICIENT
REASON. SOME THINGS JUST HAVE A
CERTAIN PROBABILITY OF HAPPENING AND
ATTEMPTS TO ACCOMMODATE THIS FEATURE
INTO A “BETTER” THEORY HAVE NOT
SUCCEEDED.
SOME RESPONSES
IT IS NOT OUTRAGEOUS TO CLAIM THAT
QUANTUM MECHANICS IS NOT REALLY
INTELLIGIBLE AND IT IS THEREFORE A VERY
TENUOUS PROCEDURE TO USE ONE OF ITS
INTERPRETATIONS TO TRY TO DEFEAT (PSR).
RICHARD FEYNMAN: “I THINK IT IS SAFE TO SAY
THAT NO ONE UNDERSTANDS QUANTUM
MECHANICS.”