Date of Graduation
5-2022
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Philosophy (MA)
Degree Level
Graduate
Department
Philosophy
Advisor/Mentor
Adler, Jacob
Committee Member
Funkhouser, Eric M.
Second Committee Member
Stevens, Christopher W.
Third Committee Member
Ward, Barry M.
Keywords
Problem of Arbitrarity; Problem of Existence; Spinoza
Abstract
Philosophers from Leibniz to Parfit have tackled the problem of existence and the problem of arbitrarity. I divide the solutions to these two problems into three general categories: (1) infinite regress answers, (2) ex nihilo answers, and (3) self-caused cause answers. I show that the first two (infinite regress and ex nihilo) categories of answers either fail to answer the problem of existence or the problem of arbitrarity or fail to satisfy one or more reasonable assumptions about said problems. Believing it to be useful to a self-caused cause answer to the problem of existence and the problem of arbitrarily, I explicate Baruch de Spinoza’s metaphysics. Finally, I construct a self-caused cause answer to the problem of existence and the problem of arbitrarity using Spinozistic metaphysics.
Citation
Miller, J. R. (2022). The Foundation of a Grand Unified Metaphysics. Graduate Theses and Dissertations Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/4504
