Plural grounding and the principle of sufficient reason

Analysis 80 (1):90-95 (2020)
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Abstract

In a recent article published in this journal, Kris McDaniel proposes a variant of Peter van Inwagen’s argument against the principle of sufficient reason that makes crucial use of plural grounding. In this response paper I object to McDaniel’s argument. I argue that there is no notion of plural grounding available that is both irreflexive in the sense required for the argument to go through and general enough to formulate the principle of sufficient reason as proposed by McDaniel.

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Jonas Werner
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Citations of this work

Principle of Sufficient Reason.Fatema Amijee - 2020 - In Michael J. Raven (ed.), The Routledge Handbook of Metaphysical Grounding. New York: Routledge. pp. 63-75.
Facts.Kevin Mulligan - 2008 - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

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References found in this work

An Essay on Free Will.Peter Van Inwagen - 1983 - New York: Oxford University Press.
On the Plurality of Grounds.Shamik Dasgupta - 2014 - Philosophers' Imprint 14.
Pure Logic of Many-Many Ground.Jon Erling Litland - 2016 - Journal of Philosophical Logic 45 (5):531-577.
Without Reason?Benjamin Schnieder & Alex Steinberg - 2015 - Pacific Philosophical Quarterly 97 (4):523-541.

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