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Emanuel Rutten's Atomistic Cosmological Argument

Formulation​

  1. There are objects.
  2. Every composite object is ultimately composed of simple objects.
  3. Every object is caused or is the cause of another object.
  4. The sum of all caused simple objects is an object.
  5. The cause of an object is disjoint with that object.
  6. Every caused composite object contains a caused proper part.
  7. Therefore, there is a first cause.

Objects and Composites​

The second premise states that every composite object is ultimately composed of simple objects. "Simple objects" are a kind of object that is not composed of any other objects. For example, a table is a composite object, as it is composed of wood. The wood is also a composite object, as it is composed of molecules. Going down further, we eventually arrive at the fundamental particles (quarks, electrons, etc.), which are simple objects.

However, each time we believe we have reached a simple object, we find that it is composed of smaller parts. For example, it was once thought that atoms were simple objects, but we now know they are composed of protons, neutrons, and electrons. Then, we thought protons and neutrons were simple, but they are composed of a combination of up and down quarks, along with gluons that hold them together. What makes us think that quarks are simple objects, and not composed of even smaller parts?

One response is that while we can always find smaller parts, there is a point at which we can no longer divide the object. This is not a matter of practicality, but a fundamental in-principle limitation. However, in order to be greater than a mere stipulation, this will need extensive justification.

The third premise states that every object is caused or is the cause of another object. Written this way, that's just false - abstract objects, like numbers, are not caused. This premise is likely meant to apply only to concrete objects, but it should be stated explicitly.

The fourth premise states that the sum of all caused simple objects is an object. This seems to carry a commitment to mereological universalism, the view that every collection of objects has a sum. It assumes the existence of this monolithic superobject that is the sum of all simple objects.

Causation and Disjointness​

The fifth premise states that the cause of an object is disjoint with that object. This depends on what is meant by "disjoint". One interpretation is that two objects are disjoint when they do not overlap in any way. That is, they do not share any parts. However, we can make a very simple counterexample - imagine a balloon floating in the air. The balloon is the sum of the rubber and the air inside it. But the cause of its floating is the air that was blown into it. This is not disjoint, as the air inside the balloon is also part of the balloon. Hence, we have a cause that is not wholly disjoint from the object.

The sixth premise states that every caused composite object contains a caused proper part. (Proper parts are parts that are not identical to the whole. Similar to proper subsets in set theory.) This also seems to not be completely true. Consider some uncaused simple objects. one of them causes the others to come together in a certain way and form a new object. This new object is a composite object, but it does not contain any caused proper parts; it is composed of uncaused simple objects. Thus, this counterexample seems to contradict the premise.