The Leibnizian Cosmological Argument | (MoR No. 32)

Does contingency give us reason to believe in God? The Leibnizian Cosmological Argument (LCA) answers in the affirmative. In this video, I explain Alex Pruss’ LCA from the Blackwell Companion to Natural Theology.  

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Presentation Outline  

1 Introduction 

2 Principle of Sufficient Reason (PSR) 

-----2.1 Self-evidence 

-----2.2 Koons-Pruss epistemological argument 

-----2.3 Evolution (Induction in science) 

-----2.4 Inference to best explanation 

-----2.5 Precluding chaos 

-----2.6 Nature of modality

----------2.6.1 Narrowly logical account of modality 

----------2.6.2 Lewisian modal realism 

----------2.6.3 Platonic account of modality 

----------2.6.4 Aristotelian-essentialist account of modality 

----------2.6.5 Aristotelian-causal account of modality 

----------2.6.6 The argument

-----2.7 Philosophical argumentation 3 Objections to PSR 

-----3.1 Modal imagination argument 

-----3.2 Van Inwagen’s modal fatalism argument 

-----3.3 Quantum mechanics 

-----3.4 Contrastive explanation

4 Global Causal Principles (CPs) 

-----4.1 Objection: causing the causing 

5 Toward a first cause 

-----5.1 The PSR 

-----5.2 Objections

----------5.2.1 Can we even form BCCF? 

----------5.2.2 HECP 

----------5.2.3 Taxicab Problem 

-----5.3 CP for wholly contingent states

6 The Gap Problem 

-----6.1 Agency 

-----6.2 Goodness 

-----6.3 Divine Simplicity? 

-----6.4 Gellman’s argument for uniqueness and omnipotence

Links  Pruss, “The Leibnizian Cosmological Argument”: http://alexanderpruss.com/papers/LCA....   

Craig and Moreland, “The Blackwell Companion to Natural Theology”: https://www.difa3iat.com/wp-content/u...J._P._Moreland_The_BlackwellBookZZ.org-2.pdf

Baddorf, “Di