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    Leibniz's distinction between sufficient reason for origi... — Carmelics
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    Challenges→A second god cannot be a necessary condition of the existence of at least one concrete object distinct from itself, given that a first god is a causally sufficient condition (in the strong sense) of the existence of at least one contingent being.

    Leibniz's distinction between sufficient reason for origination and sufficient reason for continuation implies that a cause sufficient to produce a being need not be sufficient to preserve it.

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    1 reason for
    1 reason against

    Reasons For

    1 perspective
    Reason for
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    • 1.Origination requires overcoming non-existence; continuation requires only preventing relapse into it—these are metaphysically distinct tasks.
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    • 2.Empirically, maintaining a flame requires continuous fuel, but striking a match created it—demonstrating different causal sufficiencies.
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    • 3.A sufficient reason for origination addresses why something begins; a sufficient reason for continuation addresses why it persists—logically separable questions.
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    Reasons Against

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    Reason against
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    • 1.If a cause is sufficient to produce a being's nature, that same nature's existence-requirements follow necessarily—no metaphysical gap remains.
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    • 2.Distinguishing origination from continuation without explaining WHY the same cause cannot suffice conflates our epistemic limits with real metaphysical boundaries.
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    • 3.In classical metaphysics, God's single creative act suffices both to originate and sustain; positing separate reasons fragments divine causality arbitrarily.
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    Key Terms

    Leibniz
    Leibniz is a German philosopher and mathematician from the 1600s-1700s who developed calculus (a powerful math tool for measuring change and areas) independently around the same time as Isaac Newton. He's famous for creating much of the notation we still use in mathematics today and for arguing that everything in the universe follows logical principles. His ideas profoundly influenced modern science, mathematics, and philosophy, making him one of history's most important thinkers.
    continuation(refers to the time we have ahead of us that we want to keep going)
    The idea of something lasting longer or extending further into the future.
    distinction(One of the two components of Arendtian plurality)
    The aspect of plurality by which no two human beings are ever interchangeable, each being endowed with a unique biography and perspective on the world
    origination(Used to evaluate whether the Turing Test detects genuine creativity or novelty in computers versus humans)
    The capacity to produce new sentences of natural language that are appropriate to the circumstances in which an agent finds itself.
    preserve(as what a cause might do to keep something existing)
    To keep something in existence or maintain it in its current state.
    sufficient reason(Used by Leibniz to distinguish genuine explanatory grounds from mere descriptions.)
    A reason adequate to determine why a thing is as it is and not otherwise.

    Connections

    2 topics

    Against an aspect of God1 linkedDivine Attributes1 linked

    Related

    A second god cannot be a necessary condition of the existence of at least one co...A sufficient reason for origination addresses why something begins; a sufficient...

    Details

    Type
    claim
    Perspectives
    2 (1 for, 1 against)
    Edits
    1 edit
    Distinguishing origination from continuation without explaining WHY the same cau...
    Empirically, maintaining a flame requires continuous fuel, but striking a match ...
    +3 moreShow less
    If a cause is sufficient to produce a being's nature, that same nature's existen...In classical metaphysics, God's single creative act suffices both to originate a...Origination requires overcoming non-existence; continuation requires only preven...