Ep. #35 – The Principle of Causality with Dr. Koons

Summary

Does the Universe have a cause? Dr. Robert Koons, a philosopher and metaphysician from UT Austin joins us to defend the causal principle. He explains why we should hold to a causal principle and why we should think the causal principle applies to the Universe.

Additionally, Dr. Koons ties the causal principle to arguments for God. He explains two ways that his arguments support the project of showing that God exists. He also recommends outstanding resources on the topic and answers several objections.

Guest Bio

Dr. Robert Koons has earned degrees at Michigan State, Oxford, and UCLA. He’s taught at UT-Austin for 31 years. And he’s authored or edited six books, including the most recent The Atlas of Reality: A Guide to Metaphysics (with Tim Pickavance).

Show Outline

In the first segment, Dr. Koons tells us more about his background in philosophy and religion. He also explains what he means by a causal principle and why we should have a robust causal principle.

In the next segment, he answers several objections to the principle of causality. He shows why circular causation and infinite regress are implausible alternatives to the idea that the universe has a cause.

In the final segment, Dr. Koons discusses arguments for God and how the causal principle relates to those. He provides a list of many high-level resources and information for those who want to find out more.

Resources Mentioned

Dr. Koons’ personal website

Note: The Paper I drew from in this episode is no longer available on Dr. Rob Koons’ website. However, a wealth of other papers and blog posts are available there that should aid you on your philosophical quest.

Necessary Existence by Alexander Pruss and Josh Rasmussen

Infinity, Causation, and Paradox by Alexander Pruss

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