The Principle of Sufficient Reason: A Reassessment (Cambridge Studies in Philosophy)

by Alexander R. Pruss (Author)

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ISBN-13: 978-0521184397

ISBN-10: 0521184398

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The Principle of Sufficient Reason (PSR) says that all contingent facts must have explanation. In this 2006 volume, which was the first on the topic in the English language in nearly half a century, Alexander Pruss examines the substantive philosophical issues raised by the Principle Reason. Discussing various forms of the PSR and selected historical episodes, from Parmenides, Leibnez, and Hume, Pruss defends the claim that every true contingent proposition must have an explanation against major objections, including Hume's imaginability argument and Peter van Inwagen's argument that the PSR entails modal fatalism. Pruss also provides a number of positive arguments for the PSR, based on considerations as different as the metaphysics of existence, counterfactuals and modality, negative explanations, and the everyday applicability of the PSR. Moreover, Pruss shows how the PSR would advance the discussion in a number of disparate fields, including meta-ethics and the philosophy of mathematics.

The Principle of Sufficient Reason: A Reassessment (Cambridge Studies in Philosophy)

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Editorial Reviews

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The scope of the book is truly encyclopaedic...Pruss's book is an excellent summary of arguments for and against Principle of Sufficient Reason, and will provide much food for thought for philosophers of many different persuasions.
- Kevin Davey, University of Chicago, Religious Studies

"This is a masterly treatment of the Principle of Sufficient Reason in a multitude of its philosophical guises and contexts...the book is an excellent achievement, and I can think of no sufficient reason why it should not grace the shelves of any philosopher." --Dean Rickles, University of Calgary: Philosophy in Review

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Product details

Series: Cambridge Studies in Philosophy
Paperback: 350 pages
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (December 23, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0521184398
ISBN-13: 978-0521184397
Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.8 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 3 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,295,937 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1032 in Books > Textbooks > Humanities > Philosophy > Metaphysics
- #2847 in Books > Textbooks > Humanities > Philosophy > Ethics
- #3964 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Metaphysics

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wireloop

Insufficient for the casual reader.

October 24, 2016

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Tough one to stick with. I had some moments of clarity, but other times was completely lost. I put it down thrice.

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Go Man Van Goch

Nothing from nothing, the long version.

March 22, 2016

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

I'm not worthy of this work. I didn't have the chance to go to university, and am merely a curious person who can read.
My opinion of this book is ignorant at best. I love it.
(Spoiler) Nothing comes from nothing. God made the universe and everything in it has a purpose and it couldn't exist at all if it weren't exactly as it is. He exists outside time. This dense jargon proves it. They're pretty sure they have it this time.
If you don't or won't accept that premise, and prefer to consider the universe a series of random accidents which culminated in this unlikely but hardly unique world of purposeless self aware beings struggling to establish and enhance their personal comforts, this book won't convince you otherwise. Which is actually semi tragic, as that's what it intends.
I agree with Pascal, no one gets faith by reasoning. That's not what reasoning is for. Discernment isn't mental.
This book is better than me, and the writer is smarter and more educated than I'll ever be. I'm glad he wrote the thing, it's a better world with this book in it. It isn't preposterous.

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Cornell

The PSR is alive and kicking

July 27, 2012

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Alexander Pruss in my eyes is probably the most underrated philosopher in the world today, this book shows us why.

I first learned about Pruss through his essay in "The Blackwell Companion To Natural Theology" and with all due respect to William Lane Craig, I find Alexander's cosmological argument to be a tad bit more compelling than the Kalam Cosmological argument (though the KCA is still an excellent argument for the existence of God).

The Principle of Sufficient Reason (PSR) can be traced all the way back to the Greek philosopher Parmenides' 2nd argument against becoming. Pruss does an excellent job giving the history of the PSR that has been spoken about from prominent philosophers such as Parmenides, Thomas Aquinas, G.W Leibniz, David Hume and Immanuel Kant.

Parmenides states "What need would have driven it later rather than earlier, beginning from the nothing, to grow?"

Parmenides uses the PSR to argue for his 'ex nihilo nihil principle' here. Pruss shows us how the ex nihilo nihil principle is not in the first instance to be perceived as a principle about explanation or causation. In fact, in one of its cosmological forms, it says that a universe with an empty past will not have a nonempty present or future.

Pruss then goes over the chains of causes such as the The Hume-Edwards Principle and shows where it fails.

The book is broken up into 3 major parts in which Pruss goes greatly into detail of describing each important factor of the PSR and its significance. Pruss brings up topics such as Modal Fatalism, Free-Will, Quantum Mechanics, Thomist Arguments, Modal Arguments, Explanation of Negative states of affairs, Inductive skepticism, the Nature of Possibility and the importance of Inference to the best explanation (or the only explanation).

Here is the layout:

Part 1 - The Principle of Sufficient Reason and the causal principle

Part 2 - Objections to the PSR

Part 3 - Justifications of the PSR

It is books like this that make me want to go back to college to finish up a degree in philosophy, and I believe the time is growing near :)

An Excellent book that I would recommend to anyone who is interested in the Metaphysics of existence, Meta-Ethics, or just interested in philosophy!!!

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