States of affairs;
Cosmological argument;
Necessary being;
Causal principle;
COSMOLOGICAL ARGUMENT;
SUFFICIENT REASON;
EXISTENCE;
PRINCIPLE;
D O I:
10.1007/s11098-008-9293-2
中图分类号:
B [哲学、宗教];
学科分类号:
01 ;
0101 ;
摘要:
I develop new paths to the existence of a concrete necessary being. These paths assume a metaphysical framework in which there are abstract states of affairs that can obtain or fail to obtain. One path begins with the following causal principle: necessarily, any contingent concrete object possibly has a cause. I mark out steps from that principle to a more complex causal principle and from there to the existence of a concrete necessary being. I offer a couple alternative causal principles and paths, too. The paths marked out rely on relatively modest causal principles and avoid many obstacles that traditional cosmological arguments face.