metonymy4u

My version of Leibniz’s version of the ontological proof:


major premise 1 : A=A and A ≠ not-A
major premise 2: all effects have distinct causes

conclusion 1: the cause of A cannot be part of A, that is, effects cannot be self-caused (this is because if events could be self-caused, they could be anything at all, including being not-A, which is ruled out by premise 1).

conclusion 2: every cause and effect relationship is exactly what it is and nothing else (taking any given cause and effect relationship as A and noting that it cannot therefore be described as not-A).

conclusion 3: these cause and effect relationships cannot change. they are essential and eternal. because if they could change, they could change into not-A, which is ruled out by premise 1.

If we consider A as “everything that exists” or “the universe” then by premise 1 the universe is exactly equal to itself and nothing else. There is nothing that the universe does not contain. Because then it would be different from itself (it would be non-A) and this is ruled out by premise 1. By premise 2 the universe must have a cause. Call that cause God. So God is the cause of everything that exists. This implies that God must be eternal, must be outside the time and space that are a part of our universe (by conclusion 1). This also means that God creates the universe exactly as it is and in no other way, and every part of the universe is exactly as God created it and nothing else (conclusions 2 and 3). This means that everything that is, exists as it is exactly for all time and space. Because if something could change, it would defy God’s ability to create the universe exactly as it is, regardless of any contingent facts of space and time. Which means that the objects of God’s creation (Leibniz called them monads, one example being the human soul) are eternal and indestructible by any force but God.

It all depends on the major premises which are by no means self evidently “true”… 🙂