Taylor - argument for God from contingency & necessity ~ slide 1 Richard Taylor’s argument for God from contingency & necessity 1. Begins with story of walking in a woods-- a not too subtle play on William Paley’s story about walking in a heath. –Basic datum - the very existence of anything requires an explanation

Taylor - argument for God from contingency & necessity ~ slide 2 Richard Taylor’s argument for God from contingency & necessity –The Principle of Sufficient Reason: There must be some sort of explanation for everything (Peterson et al 189). 2. The universe exists. There must be some reason for this.

Taylor - argument for God from contingency & necessity ~ slide 3 Richard Taylor’s argument for God from contingency & necessity –To say that it has always existed does not solve the problem. We are asking why it exists at all. 3. The reason for the existence of the universe may be from within the universe or outside of it. 4. All that we encounter within the universe is contingent.

Taylor - argument for God from contingency & necessity ~ slide 4 Richard Taylor’s argument for God from contingency & necessity –Contingent - may or may not exist. –Necessary - exists by its own nature; cannot not be; is eternal and indestructible. 5. Contingency cannot explain the very existence of the universe.

Taylor - argument for God from contingency & necessity ~ slide 5 Richard Taylor’s argument for God from contingency & necessity 6. Thus the universe must be dependent on something else outside of the universe (all contingent things are dependent on something other than themselves for their existence). 7. If this something else is contingent, would have an infinite regress of contingent beings.

Taylor - argument for God from contingency & necessity ~ slide 6 Richard Taylor’s argument for God from contingency & necessity 8. Thus the something else must be necessary and this is God.

Taylor - argument for God from contingency & necessity ~ slide 7 Richard Taylor’s argument for God from contingency & necessity Critique –1. Could challenge the P. of Sufficient Reason –2. The scientific materialist might argue that the future of science will uncover explanations for the very existence of the universe. The scientific materialist has faith that science can explain all.

Taylor - argument for God from contingency & necessity ~ slide 8 Richard Taylor’s argument for God from contingency & necessity Reply: Perhaps “why anything exists at all” is not an empirical question, not a question which can be answered by science.