Grounding, infinite regress, and the thomistic cosmological argument
A prominent Thomistic cosmological argument maintains that an infinite regress of causes, which exhibits a certain pattern of ontological dependence among its members, would be vicious and so must terminate in a first member. Interestingly, Jonathan Schaffer offers a similar argument in the contempo...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2022
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| In: |
International journal for philosophy of religion
Year: 2022, Volume: 92, Issue: 3, Pages: 147-166 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Thomism
/ Metaphysics
/ Cosmological proof of God's existence
/ Regressus in infinitum
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| IxTheo Classification: | AB Philosophy of religion; criticism of religion; atheism NBC Doctrine of God VB Hermeneutics; Philosophy |
| Further subjects: | B
Fundamentality
B Grounding B Metaphysical infinitism B Thomistic cosmological argument B Infinite Regress |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | A prominent Thomistic cosmological argument maintains that an infinite regress of causes, which exhibits a certain pattern of ontological dependence among its members, would be vicious and so must terminate in a first member. Interestingly, Jonathan Schaffer offers a similar argument in the contemporary grounding literature for the view called metaphysical foundationalism. I consider the striking similarities between both arguments and conclude that both are unsuccessful for the same reason. I argue this negative result gives us indirect reason to consider metaphysical infinitism as a genuine possibility, the view that chains of ontological dependence or ground can descend indefinitely. |
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| ISSN: | 1572-8684 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: International journal for philosophy of religion
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1007/s11153-022-09840-3 |
