Question

Is every feature of the universe logically necessary? For example, it would be logically necessary that no material object can exceed the speed of light. In other words, there is only one way for the universe to exist, by pure logic alone. What is the name of the view that everything in the universe is logically necessary, and have any philosophers argued for that view?

Answer 1

The notion that every feature of the universe is logically necessary is associated with the idea of metaphysical necessity. Philosophers like Aristotle contributed to this view with the idea of a first cause, but modern physics suggests that universal constants may be contingent rather than logically necessary.

Step-by-step explanation:

The view that every feature of the universe is logically necessary is known as metaphysical necessity. Philosophers like Aristotle and those who later developed the Cosmological Argument have explored the concept that the universe must have a cause or a first cause, implying some form of necessity.

However, whether every aspect of the universe, such as the speed of light or the rate of the universe's expansion, follows from logical necessity is a matter of debate. Modern physics and cosmology, which suggest that constants like the speed of light and the occurrence of the Big Bang are contingent on empirical evidence rather than pure logic, challenge the notion of metaphysical necessity for every universal feature.

It remains a philosophical question whether this universe's characteristics could be different or are determined by a set of logical and metaphysical principles that could allow no other way for them to be.