Editing Cosmological argument (section)

===Duns Scotus's metaphysical argument===

At the turn of the 14th century, medieval Christian theologian [[Duns Scotus|John Duns Scotus]] (1265/66–1308) formulated a [[metaphysical]] argument for the existence of God inspired by Aquinas's [[Five Ways (Aquinas)#First way: The Argument of the Unmoved Mover|argument of the unmoved mover]].<ref name= Scotus1>{{cite web |last=Duns Scotus |first=John |title=Ordinatio I/D2/Q2B |year=1300|website=The Logic Museum|url=http://www.logicmuseum.com/wiki/Authors/Duns_Scotus/Ordinatio/Ordinatio_I/D2/Q2B  |access-date=27 September 2024}}</ref> Like other philosophers and theologians, Scotus believed that his statement for God's existence could be considered distinct to that of Aquinas. The form of the argument can be summarised as follows:<ref name= SEPScot>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Williams |first=Thomas |title=John Duns Scotus |year=2019|encyclopedia=The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy|url=https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/duns-scotus/#ProExiGod |access-date=27 September 2024}}</ref>

#An effect cannot be produced by itself.
#An effect cannot be produced by nothing.
#A circle of causes is impossible.
#Therefore, an effect must be produced by something else.
#An accidentally ordered causal series cannot exist without an essentially ordered series.
<ol style="list-style-type: lower-alpha;margin-left: 5.2em;">
<li>Each member in an accidentally ordered series (except a possible first) exists via causal activity of a prior member.</li>
<li>That causal activity is exercised by virtue of a certain [[substantial form|form]].</li>
<li>Therefore, that form is required by each member to effect causation.</li>
<li>The form itself is not a member of the series.</li>
<li>Therefore [c,d], accidentally ordered causes cannot exist without higher-order (essentially ordered) causes.</li>
</ol>
<ol start="6"><li>An essentially ordered causal series cannot regress to infinity.</li>
<li>Therefore [4,5,6], there exists a first agent.</li></ol>

Scotus affirms, in premise 5, that an [[Cosmological argument#Accidental and essential ordering of causes|accidentally ordered series of causes]] is impossible without higher-order laws and processes that govern the basic principles of accidental causation, which he characterises as essentially ordered causes.<ref>{{harvnb|Duns Scotus|1300}} Paragraph 54: "Such an infinity of succession is impossible save from some nature that endures permanently, on which the whole succession and any part of it depend."</ref>

Premise 6 continues, in accordance with Aquinas's discourses on the [[Five Ways (Aquinas)#Second way: The Argument of the First Cause|Second Way]] and [[Five Ways (Aquinas)#Third way: The Argument from Time and Contingency|Third Way]], that an essentially ordered series of causes cannot be an infinite regress.<ref>{{harvnb|Duns Scotus|1300}} Paragraph 53.</ref> On this, Scotus posits that, if it is merely possible that a first agent exists, then it is [[logical consequence|necessarily]] true that a first agent exists, given that the non-existence of a first agent entails the impossibility of its own existence (by virtue of being a first cause in the chain).<ref name= SEPScot/> He argues further that it is ''not impossible'' for a being to exist that is causeless by virtue of [[ontology|ontological]] perfection.<ref>{{harvnb|Duns Scotus|1300}} Paragraph 53: "... an effective thing does not necessarily posit any imperfection; therefore it can be in something without imperfection. But if no cause is without dependence on something prior, it will not be in anything without imperfection."</ref>

With the formulation of this argument, Scotus establishes the first component of his 'triple primacy': The characterisation of a being that is first in [[Four Causes#Efficient|efficient causality]], [[Four Causes#Final|final causality]] and pre-eminence, or maximal excellence, which he ascribes to God.<ref name=SEPScot/>