A Demonstration of the Being and Attributes of God

Clarke, Samuel; Vailati, Ezio

doi:10.1017/cbo9780511583346.005

Cited by 10 publications

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“…Start with the question of self‐explainers. Samuel Clarke's cosmological argument famously purports to show that the PSR implies that there is a self‐explainer, and he goes on to argue that the self‐explainer is divine (see (Clarke, )). But whatever the merits of his argument, it is clear that our PSR does not imply that there are facts that explain themselves in the very same sense that (say) an arrangement of particles might explain the existence of a chair.…”

Section: Essential Existencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…These versions each focus on just one kind of explanation, but others may be more general. For example, one of the principles that Rowe () finds in Clarke () is disjunctive, and states (in effect) that the existence of every being is explicable either by the causal effect of another being or “by its own nature”. And one might consider the more general principle that everything has an explanation of some kind or other.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Just think of Clarke's () cosmological argument in which he insists (on the basis of some version of the PSR) that a non‐terminating chain of dependence must itself have some external cause. It is debatable what version of the PSR he used but he clearly did not consider it satisfied merely by a non‐terminating chain.…”

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Metaphysical Rationalism

Dasgupta

2014

Nous

151

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The Principle of Sufficient Reason states that everything has an explanation. But different notions of explanation yield different versions of this principle. Here a version is formulated in terms of the notion of a "grounding" explanation. Its consequences are then explored, with particular emphasis on the fact that it implies necessitarianism, the view that every truth is necessarily true. Finally, the principle is defended from a number of objections, including objections to necessitarianism. The result is a defense of a "rationalist" metaphysics, one that constitutes an alternative to the contemporary dogmas that some aspects of the world are "metaphysically brute" and that the world could in so many ways have been different.Those who are ignorant of true causes, make complete confusion-think that trees might talk just as well as men-that men might be formed from stones as well as from seed . . .-B. Spinoza, Ethics, 1p8s2A metaphysical rationalist is someone who endorses the Principle of Sufficient Reason (PSR), the principle that everything has an explanation. The PSR can be understood in a number of different ways depending on the meaning of 'explanation' and the range of the quantifier 'everything', so metaphysical rationalists come in many different stripes. But every rationalist thinks that in some interesting sense there is an explanation (or "reason") for everything. Her rationalism is then qualified as being metaphysical to distinguish it from other rationalisms (such as epistemic rationalism, a thesis concerning the sources of justification) but this qualification can now be dropped for brevity.Although rationalism of one form or another was arguably embraced by such luminaries as Aquinas, Spinoza, and Leibniz (amongst others), it is fair to say that it has since largely fallen out of favor. Indeed my sense is that (with a few exceptions) contemporary philosophers tend to treat it as an antiquated view that need not be taken seriously today. 1 This may be the result of two factors. First, the PSR (in one form or another) is often thought to have consequences that might be thought problematic, including necessitarianism (the view that every truth is necessarily true), the existence of God, and indeed the existence of every conceivable being. 2 And second, there is a perceived lack of evidence in its favor. These two factors naturally lead to an attitude of (perhaps respectful) dismissal. C 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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Section: Essential Existencementioning

confidence: 99%

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Metaphysical Rationalism

Dasgupta

2014

Nous

151

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“…Newton's spokesman, Samuel Clarke, linked that uniformity to God: "… what men commonly call the course of nature … is nothing else but the will of God producing certain effects in a continued, constant, and uniform manner." 24 But what exactly underpins that reliable uniformity? Here again we find justifications in terms of theological doctrines -the following one from the late fifteenth century: "[God rules nature with] an unfailing [conditional] necessity … appropriate to God … because of his promise, that is, his covenant, or established law."…”

Section: Uniformity Of Natural Lawmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Religious Roots of Science

Ratzsch

2010

Science and Religion in Dialogue

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Women and Enlightenment in Eighteenth-Century Britain

O'Brien

2009

207

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self-love, reason and social benevolence 2 From savage to Scotswoman: the history of femininity 3 Roman, Gothic and medieval women: the historicisation of womanhood, 1750-c.1804 4 Catharine Macaulay's histories of England: liberty, civilisation and the female historian 5 Good manners and partial civilisation in the writings of Mary Wollstonecraft 6 The history women and the population men, 1760-1830 Notes Bibliography Index vii Introduction: the progress of society Let me observe to you, that the position of women in society, is somewhat different from what it was a hundred years ago, or as it was sixty, or I will say thirty years since. Women are now so highly cultivated, and political subjects are at present of so much importance, of such high interest, to all human beings who live together in society, you can hardly expect, Helen, that you, as a rational being, can go through the world as it now is, without forming any opinions on points of public importance. You cannot, I conceive, satisfy yourself with the common namby-pamby, little missy phrase, 'ladies have nothing to do with politics'.. . Female influence must, will, and ought to exist on political subjects as on all others; but this influence should always be domestic, not public-the customs of society have so ruled it.

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A Demonstration of the Being and Attributes of God

Cited by 10 publications

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Metaphysical Rationalism

Metaphysical Rationalism

The Religious Roots of Science

Women and Enlightenment in Eighteenth-Century Britain

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