On the S5 axiom system of modal logic, all possible worlds are connected, so if S is metaphysically possible in one world, S is metaphysically possible in all possible worlds—i.e., S is necessarily possible.

In the first part of the 20th century, with the rise of Positivism, the argument was largely abandoned. C. ” But since existence claims cannot be logically necessary, the statement is absurd. However, he notes, within us lies a deep-seated question: why should anything exist at all? Smart does not know what sort of question this is for it fails to fit his conception of propositions as either necessary truths or empirical claims. However, he continues, this awe-inspiring theological question appeals to those with a religious attitude. In this, the cosmological argument is reduced to a mystical ...