Metaphysics deals with the reality behind the reality that we see.
The Metaphysician asks:
“What is true always and everywhere, regardless of time or place?”
“How is this truth related to the particular truths of determinate (having exact and discernible limits or form) times and places?”
Here’s a summary of ‘The Metaphysical Argument’, from Duns Scotus, the influential Medieval Christian theologian, combined with the ‘The First-Cause Argument’, explained by Josh McDowell’s Ministry at josh.org.
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1. It is possible that something can be produced.
2. It had to have been produced by itself, by nothing, or by another being.
3. It can’t be produced by nothing, because nothing causes nothing.
4. It can’t be produced by itself, because an effect never causes itself.
5. Therefore, it had to be produced by another, which we will call: ‘A’.
6. If ‘A’ is the first to ever exist then we have reached the conclusion.
7. If ‘A’ is not the first to ever exist, then we return to 2).
8. From 3) and 4), we find another producer which we will call- ‘B’.
9. Either:
this cycle repeats for infinity
|or|
we eventually come to the first thing to ever exist--the ultimate producer who never had to be produced.
10. An infinite series is not possible because it is ‘Infinite Regress’. It breaks the laws of thermodynamics and entropy. Which states: in a closed system, matter cannot sustain itself infinitely because eventually physical matter will be converted into heat and various forms of energy until no matter is left. Something has to be creating and adding new matter to the system.
11. Therefore, the ultimate, first to exist producer does exist.
12. If this producer is the first of everything to exist, it has to be the origin of time, space, and matter. It could not be subject to natural law, or that would imply that it needed time, space, and matter to exist. Which means it is timeless, spaceless, and immaterial.
13. This unproduced producer is God.
He is prime reality, himself.
You can download a free printout of this information by going to our “Free Material” Page and clicking on “Metaphysics and God”. For more information on the topic of Metaphysics you can also read, “The Metaphysical Search” blog post and utilize a free printout of “The Metaphysical Search”.
This series of blog posts titled, “Holding on to Reason”, is named after Amanda’s favorite C.S. Lewis quote: “Faith is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods.”