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    The Big Bang can be considered an event (or an initial st... — Carmelics
    Home/Natural Theology
    HistoryEditSee Inverse

    The Big Bang can be considered an event (or an initial state) about which one may inquire why it existed.

    Natural Theology
    ?Rate how convincing each reason is below to see the overall strength.
    1 reason for
    2 reasons against

    Reasons For

    1 perspective
    Reason for
    ?
    • 1.We can broaden the notion of 'event' by removing the requirement that it must be relational, taking place in a space-time context.
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    • 2.In the Big Bang the space-time universe commences and then continues to exist in measurable time subsequent to the initiating singularity.
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    • 3.One might consider the Big Bang as either the event of the commencing of the universe or else a state in which any two points in the observable universe were arbitrarily close together.
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    Reasons Against

    2 perspectives
    Reason against 1 of 2
    ?
    • 1.An 'event' in any coherent causal framework presupposes a temporal context in which prior states obtain and transitions occur.
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    • 2.The Big Bang singularity, as a boundary of spacetime rather than a point within it, lacks the relational structure that makes causal 'why' questions well-formed.
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    • 3.Broadening 'event' to include boundary conditions strips the concept of the causal-explanatory content that makes asking 'why it existed' meaningful rather than merely grammatical.
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    Reason against 2 of 2
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    • 1.Grünbaum's principle of spontaneous existence holds that the default explanatory posture for any state of affairs is that it simply obtains, absent specific deformation from a prior state.
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    • 2.The supporting argument illicitly transfers ordinary event-causation language to a singular limit case where no prior physical state exists to ground a contrastive explanation.
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    • 3.Without a physically meaningful contrast class—states in which the Big Bang does not occur—the question 'why did it exist?' is explanatorily idle, not merely unanswered.
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    Topics

    Natural Theology

    Related

    An 'event' in any coherent causal framework presupposes a temporal context in wh...Broadening 'event' to include boundary conditions strips the concept of the caus...Grünbaum's principle of spontaneous existence holds that the default explanatory...In the Big Bang the space-time universe commences and then continues to exist in...
    +5 moreShow less
    One might consider the Big Bang as either the event of the commencing of the uni...The Big Bang singularity, as a boundary of spacetime rather than a point within ...The supporting argument illicitly transfers ordinary event-causation language to...We can broaden the notion of 'event' by removing the requirement that it must be...Without a physically meaningful contrast class—states in which the Big Bang does...

    Similar

    One might consider the Big Bang as either the event of the commencing ...80%There are further considerations that identify the necessarily existin...74%All events occur within 'God or Nature.'73%We can broaden the notion of 'event' by removing the requirement that ...73%

    Source

    AI-extracted2/3 agreementValid
    SEP: cosmological-argument
    Response to Grünbaum's objection (broadening 'event')
    View source passageHide passage
    (Grünbaum 1994; Rundle 2004: 168, writes, “[T]here is no event—the beginning of the universe—to be explained, events being possible only in time”) One response to Grünbaum’s objection is to opt for broader notions of “event” and “cause”. We might broaden the notion of “event” by removing the requirement that it must be relational, taking place in a space-time context. In the Big Bang the space-time universe commences and then continues to exist in measurable time subsequent to the initiating singularity (Silk 2001: 456). Thus, one might consider the Big Bang as either the event of the commen...
    Extraction notes

    Validity: The extracted argument faithfully captures the passage's response to Grünbaum's objection, where broadening the notion of "event" (premise 1), noting that space-time commences at the Big Bang (premise 2), and treating the Big Bang as either the commencing event or an initial state (premise 3) together support the conclusion that one may legitimately inquire about why this event/state existed.

    Confidence: Clearly presented as a response to Grünbaum

    Details

    Type
    claim
    Perspectives
    3 (1 for, 2 against)
    Edits
    1 edit