COSMOLOGICAL ARGUMENTS: Leibniz's Argument from the Principle of Sufficient Reason

Principle of Sufficient Reason (PSR)

' no fact can be real or existing and no statement true unless it has sufficient reason why it should be thus and not otherwise'

- an epistemic claim (a claim about human reasoning)

two types of truths

truths of reasoning/ necessary truth
truths of facts/ contingent truths

leibniz

- aposteriori deductive argument
- from premises that contingent facts exist, which us only known aposterori
- and no fact can be true unless there is sufficient reason why they are
- 1 contingent fact cannot provide SR for another contigent fact
- must be anecessary being

necessary/ truths of reasoning

- truths lie in basic principles of the world
- principle of contradiction, proposition cannot be true and false at the same time
- principle of identity - object is identical to itself

- denial of necessary truth, violation of these principle, which is inconcievable in the mind, and impossible in the world
- they are so basic and self evident that they do not require further explanation

A= A

contingent truths of fact

psr says they must be explained since they happen
- explaining truths of facts with other truths of facts result in infinite regress
- concluded that in order to apply a SR to contingent truths of fact, must appeal to a necessary being. who's existence does not require further explanation . its truth is self evident
- this is god