Leibniz’ Contingency Argument

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Leibniz' Contingency Argument Script:

We live in an amazing universe.

Have you ever wondered why it exists?

Why does anything at all exist?

Gottfried Leibniz wrote, “The first question which should rightly be asked is: Why is there something rather than nothing?”

He came to the conclusion that the explanation is found in God.

But is this reasonable?

P1: Everything that exists has an explanation of its existence.

P2: If the universe has an explanation of its existence, that explanation is God.

P3: The universe exists.

From these it follows logically that the explanation of the universe’s existence is God.

The logic of this argument is air tight. If the 3 premises are true, the conclusion is unavoidable. But are they more plausibly true than false?

The third premise is undeniable for anyone seeking truth. But what about the first premise?

Why not say, “The universe is just there, and that’s all”? …No explanation needed! End of discussion!

[travie_Trav]

I'm taking a class at Liberty Online and we are reading your book "On Gaurd". These videos really help me to understand the concepts better! Thank you

[roddydykes]

This video explains in 5 mins what my prof would take two or three lectures to

[WaveFunctionCollapsed]

My favourite philosopher of current era WLC ❤

[marthasharrock]

thanks so much! A level exam in three days, this really helped 👍

[richardfredlund]

another way of looking at it is that any logical argument requires a first premise. And so there is necessarily a first step (which by it's nature cannot follow from logic but precedes it).

[cdc]

This difference between the necessary being and the contingent being is nice summed up in the Name God gives Himself: "I am ". He is because He is. There is no other reason that He exists. He is the Necessary Being. I on the other hand cannot say that. I have a mother and a father from whom I am derived. Both with sequential generational being through my lineage back to Adam and spiritual re-generational being I have in Christ, I am derivative, a "contingent" being who may only say "I am because He is".

There must be a Cause without cause for the explanation on being for everything BUT that First Cause. Otherwise you face an infinite regression of meaningless causation which really says nothing more than "it just is". The "buck" either has a stopping place or trying to explain the buck is without any rational meaning...

[paultrosclair]

Or as God introduced Himself to Moses, "I Am".

[josephpostma]

I like Inspiring Philosophy's introduction to this cosmological argument.

[solideogloria]

scientists : we are interested only in examining things that don't examine us. who wants to be judged?

[kizu]

can you please make more philosophical videos for Gods existence

[MNSTRShams]

Im muslim but Lane Craig has really Good arguments

[SinanKorkmaz]

This video is simply fascinating. I was here to learn something that confused me. And not only I learned it but started to wonder how did you make this beautiful presentation. Which program did you use etc... Lovely, thanks a lot.

[omarboualloul]

This is actually Avecina's argument.

[soulofcinder]

So as an agnostic I would love to have some thing cleared up for me, at 1:20 were given a great explanation on why people have ALWAYS questioned our existence and universe. But that same example is then used for God, only given an option of God did it with out providing really any other ideas or options is just like saying "it is, so don't question it."

I've gotten a few comments about this, im not atheist guys. Im agnostic. Please leave atheism out of this, thank you.

[papercurrencyisascam]

This was explained earlier by Avicenna. Ah the Western scholars should give credits to him.

[robinmattias]

Before all you christians, jews and muslims start clapping your hands, "God" is always a question of definition. Leibniz, contrary to popular belief, does not refer to a creator God, but to an eternal, mathematical God, or a "singularity" outside space and time. See his Monadology.

[Night_Wood]

“Checkmate Athiests”
-Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, 1714

[jamesruscheinski]

sovereign God substantive choice organizing people of world.

[newmontaigne]

There are just so many things wrong with this—chief among them being Leibniz/Aquinas’ presumption that causation, along with anything else, is ‘logical.’ Aristotle reminds us that Logic is a post facto justification. Agnosticism is the thinking man’s belief system.

[larrywilliams]

Anyone who is honest and truthful will agree.
It amazes me the extreme aberration that so called atheists will go to so God can be ignored or dismissed.