One Unconditioned Reality

Proof of the Existence of at Least One Unconditioned Reality

This proof will consist of three substeps:

A) A complete disjunction elucidating the whole range of possible options for all reality.

B) Proof that a finite number of conditioned realities cannot ground the existence of any conditioned reality.

C) Proof that an infinite number of conditioned realities cannot ground the existence of any conditioned reality.

1. Complete Disjunction Elucidating the Whole Range of Possibilities for All Reality

In all reality (R), R could have either no unconditioned reality (“Hypothesis ∼UR”), or one or more unconditioned realities (“Hypothesis UR”), not neither, not both (complete disjunction). Both options cannot be false because the whole range of possibilities for R are covered by these two options. Both options cannot be true because this would violate the principle of non-contradiction. Therefore, one and only one option can be and must be true.

I A. Definitions

“Conditioned reality” means any reality (e.g., individual, particle, field, wave, structure, spatio-temporal continuum, spatio-temporal position, physical laws – e.g., E = MC2) which is dependent upon another reality for its existence or occurrence. For example, a cat is a conditioned reality because it depends on cells and structures of cells for its existence. Without such cells and their specific structure, the cat would simply not exist. Similarly, cells are conditioned realities because they depend on molecules and specific structures of molecules for their existence. Likewise, molecules are conditioned realities because they depend on atoms and structures of atoms. Atoms are dependent on quarks and structures of quarks, and so forth.

“Conditions” means any reality (e.g., individual, particle, field, wave, structure, spatio-temporal continuum, spatio-temporal position, physical laws – e.g., E=MC2) upon which a conditioned reality^[5] depends for its existence or occurrence. For example, cells are the conditions of cats, molecules the conditions of cells, etc.

“Unconditioned reality” means a reality which does not depend on any other reality of any kind for its existence or occurrence.

II A. Consequences of the Complete Disjunction

Notice that the first option in the above disjunction (Hypothesis ∼UR – “there are no unconditioned realities in all reality”) can be restated as: “in all reality (R), there are only conditioned realities.” For it is equivalent to say, “there are no unconditioned realities in all reality” as to say, “there are only conditioned realities in all reality.”

Note that if option #1 is false, then option #2 must be true, because one, and only one, of these two disjunctive options can be, and must be true. The remainder of Section II will be concerned with showing that option #1 must be false for all reality. This will prove, by disjunctive syllogism, that option #2 must be true, and therefore, there must exist at least one unconditioned reality in all reality.

For any conditioned reality (CR), CR can depend either on a finite number of conditions or an infinite number of conditions, not neither, not both (complete disjunction). Both options cannot be false because all possibilities are covered by these two options. Both options cannot be true because that would violate the principle of non-contradiction. Let us call option 1 “Hypothesis F” and option 2 “Hypothesis ∼F.” Section II.B (below) will show that “Hypothesis F” must always be false for any conditioned reality. Section II.C will show that “Hypothesis ∼F” must also be false for any conditioned reality. Therefore, no conditioned reality can exist under “Hypothesis F” or “Hypothesis ∼F.” If these two hypotheses cover the whole range of possibilities for any conditioned reality, then no conditioned reality could exist in all reality if there are only conditioned realities in all reality. Therefore, at least one unconditioned reality must exist.

II.B. Proof that “Hypothesis F” Must be False for any Conditioned Reality (CR)

1. If any conditioned reality (CR) is dependent on only a finite number of conditions for its existence (“Hypothesis F”), then there would have to be a most fundamental condition (“last condition”) upon which the CR depends. For example, a quark or some other more fundamental conditioned reality would have to be the most fundamental condition (“last condition”) upon which a CR – say, a cat – depends. This temporarily ignores the possibility of a circular set of conditions which will be disproved in Section II.D below.

2. “Hypothesis ∼UR” (under which “Hypothesis F” is being considered) asserts that there are no unconditioned realities in all reality. This is equivalent to asserting that there are only conditioned realities. Therefore, the most fundamental condition for any conditioned reality (CR) would have to be a conditioned reality (since we have hypothesized in “Hypothesis ∼UR” that there are only conditioned realities in all reality).

3. If we ignore the possibility of a circular set of conditions for the moment, then the most fundamental condition (last condition) must be a conditioned reality whose conditions are not fulfilled. The last condition must have conditions because it is a conditioned reality (according to “Hypothesis ∼UR”), and its conditions cannot be fulfilled because it is the last, or terminating condition (according to “Hypothesis F”). Therefore, the combination of “Hypothesis F” and “Hypothesis ∼UR” requires that the last condition be a conditioned reality whose conditions are not fulfilled. But “a conditioned reality whose conditions are not fulfilled” is literally nothing.

4. If the combination of “Hypothesis ∼UR” and “Hypothesis F” requires that the most fundamental condition be non-existent (nothing), then all conditioned realities hypothetically dependent on it would also have to be non-existent, in which case the conditioned reality would never exist.

Therefore, no conditioned reality can exist under both hypotheses “∼UR” and “F.” Therefore, “Hypothesis F” under “Hypothesis ∼UR” must be false for any conditioned reality in all reality.

II.C. Proof that “Hypothesis ∼F” Must be False for any Conditioned Reality (CR)

1. According to “Hypothesis ∼F,” any conditioned reality is dependent on an infinite number of conditions being fulfilled for its existence. This means there is no “most fundamental condition” (“last condition”).

2. If there is no “most fundamental condition,” then the number of conditions upon which CR depends is always 1+ more than can ever be achieved, and is therefore unachievable.

3. If CR depends on an unachievable number of conditions being fulfilled for its existence, it will never exist (a priori). In other words if CR (say, a cat) is dependent upon a dependent upon a dependent upon a dependent, ad infinitum, in order to come into existence, it will never come into existence. Its conditions will never be fulfilled.

4. Therefore, no conditioned reality can exist under “Hypothesis ∼F.” Therefore, “Hypothesis ∼F” is false for any conditioned reality.^[6]

II.D. Proof that a Circular Set of Conditions is False for Any CR

It may at first seem that a circular set of conditions is an intermediate or alternative position to hypotheses F and ∼F. As will be shown in a moment, it is not. “Circular set of conditions” means reciprocal conditionality, where CRa depends upon CRb for its existence, while CRb depends on CRa for its existence. It can be shown that “CRa’s dependence on CRb’s dependence on CRa’s dependence… etc.,” would not allow either to exist; but in order to show the fallacy of circular conditionality within the context of hypotheses F and ∼F, I have chosen the following argument.

1. Let us suppose there is a circular arrangement of conditioned realities, where CRa is dependent on CRb, which is, in turn, dependent on CRc, which is, in turn, dependent on CRa.

One may postulate any number of CRs in the circle that one wishes (even an infinity). The question is not how many conditioned realities are in the circle, but rather how many conditions each conditioned reality is dependent on in the circle. There are, again, two disjunctive options to respond to this question: (a) each conditioned reality is dependent on a finite number of conditions (implying a last condition), or (b) each conditioned reality is dependent on an infinite number of conditions (implying no last or terminating condition). This is completely disjunctive; therefore, if the circularity hypothesis is to be tenable, then one of these hypotheses must be true. If neither of the hypotheses is true, then the circularity hypothesis cannot be tenable.

2. If it is postulated that the circle corresponds to “Hypothesis F” (that each CR in the circle is dependent on a finite number of conditions), then there must be a last condition in the circle. Let us say that the last condition is CRc (though it could be any CR one wishes on any rotation through the circle). The last condition would have to be a “conditioned reality whose conditions are not fulfilled,” in which case it would not exist (because inasmuch as it is the last condition, its conditions will not be fulfilled). All other conditioned realities in the circle which depend on CRc (which would be all CRs in the circle) would likewise not exist. The circle would therefore not be able to come into existence. Notice that this is simply a restatement of the disproof of “Hypothesis F” in Section II.B above.

3. Let us hypothetically entertain the other side of the disjunction, namely that every CR in the circle is dependent on every other CR an infinite number of times (because there is no last condition). This means that every CR in the circle is dependent upon an infinite number of conditions being fulfilled. Since an infinite dependence is unachievable, every CR in the circle would have to be dependent on an unachievable number of conditions being fulfilled. Again, the circle would not be able to come into existence. Notice that this is simply a restatement of the disproof of “Hypothesis ∼F” given in Section II.C above.

4. Inasmuch as a circle must imply either that each conditioned reality is dependent on a finite number of conditions (having a last condition) or that each conditioned reality is dependent on an infinite number of conditions (because there is no last condition), and since both sides of this disjunction are false (i.e., will not allow any of the conditioned realities within the circle to exist), then a circle of dependent conditions cannot explain the existence of any of its constituents, and therefore, cannot represent a real state of affairs.

II.E. Conclusion: There Must Exist at Least One Unconditioned Reality in All Reality

1. If hypotheses F and ∼F are both false for any conditioned reality, and if hypotheses F and ∼F represent the whole range of possibilities for any conditioned reality, and if a circle is not an alternative position to hypotheses F and ∼F (it is merely a restatement of either of them) then no CR can exist under either or both hypotheses.

2. If no CR can exist under either or both hypotheses, then there cannot be only conditioned realities in “all Reality.”

3. Therefore, by disjunctive syllogism, there must be at least one unconditioned reality in all Reality. To deny this would require affirming either hypothesis F or ∼F, or both; but such an affirmation is absurd, for nothing, not even this writer, would then be able to exist.

II.F. Another Refutation of Hypothesis ∼UR

There is an even more fundamental ontological problem with Hypothesis ∼UR than the ones stated above, namely, that an infinite number of conditioned realities without an unconditioned reality is equivalent to absolutely nothing. Recalling that Hypothesis ∼UR means that there are only CRs in reality, then CR1 would have to depend on some other conditioned reality, say, CR2 in order to exist. Hence, it is nothing until CR2 exists and fulfills its conditions. Similarly, CR2 would also have to depend on some other conditioned reality, say, CR3 for its existence, and it would likewise be nothing until CR3 exists and fulfills its conditions. And so forth, ad infinitum. Since every hypothetical conditioned reality is dependent upon other nonexistent conditioned realities for its existence, it will never come into existence. It does not matter whether one posits an infinite number of them; for each one in the series of dependence is still equal to nothing without the reality of the others. But if the “others” are nothing without others, and those “others” are nothing without still others, it does not matter if one postulates an infinite number of others (or arranges the infinite number of others in a circle). They are all still nothing in their dependence upon nonexistent conditions. Therefore, Hypothesis ∼UR will always result in all reality being nothing, which readers will hopefully view as false, since they are reading this proof. Once again, we see the necessity for the existence of at least one unconditioned reality in all reality, and recognize that an unconditioned reality will have to be the ultimate fulfillment of all conditioned realities’ conditions.

Missing Steps of the Proof

Proof that an unconditioned reality must be absolutely simple.

For steps two through four of the proof (described below), refer to NPEG, Chapter Three, Sections II through IV. For a lecture presentation of the proof in its entirety, see PID Units 7-12. For students who are unfamiliar with logic or who want to refresh themselves on basic syllogisms, see PID Units 7-8.

Proof that an absolutely simple reality must be absolutely unique (one and only one).

Proof that the one absolutely simple unconditioned reality must also be unrestricted in its power or act.

Step One proved that there must be at least one unconditioned reality in “all reality.” Steps Two and Four show that there can be only one unconditioned reality, because an unconditioned reality must be absolutely simple. Step Four goes on to show that this one absolutely simple reality must be unrestricted in its power or act. We are now in a position to prove that this one unconditioned reality is the continuous Creator of all else that is, and this occurs in the Fifth Step