Reasonable Faith Podcast Question of the Week #945: A New Modal Argument from Contingency
Jun 26, 2025
Dive into a fresh take on philosophical arguments with a discussion of a new modal argument from beginnings. The show unpacks the insights of thinkers Alexander Pruss and Joshua Rasmussen, contrasting their views with traditional ideas. Explore the implications of contingency and necessity as they relate to the existence of external causes. Engaging questions about the principle of sufficient reason highlight the tension between possibility and reality, making for a thought-provoking conversation that challenges conventional beliefs.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Modal Argument's Core Insight
- The modal argument from beginnings concludes that a necessary concrete being exists if it's possible contingent things begin to exist.
- This argument allows for various explanations like brute facts or causal chains but still infers a necessary being.
Necessity of Concrete Cause
- If contingent concrete things possibly begin to exist, then possibly there is an external cause that is necessarily existent.
- This cause must be concrete because cause-effect relations require concrete entities.
Modal Logic Guarantees Existence
- Even if contingent things have always existed, it's possible their existence could begin.
- Given modal system S5, if a necessary being possibly exists, it actually exists.