I will probably write other articles to individually defend these concepts and
respond to objections that I come across in future, but it's recommended that
one takes a look at this article first before starting to read others.
Also, please note that similar metaphysical concepts from the Argument from
Motion appear in the Argument from Composition, so skip the sections here
that seem familiar if you've already taken a look at the Argument from
Motion.
1 Composition
A composed thing would be anything that has parts. For example, my table
has physical parts like the individual legs and the tabletop.
However, parts can extend to external factors as well. For example, for my
table to exist, it needs both its parts and for external factors, such as
temperature to be a certain way. The parts of my table must be arranged in
the arrangement of a table, or form of a table, if you will. But external
factors like the temperature must also be in a specific range, like
not be too high, for the table to exist, lest the table melt[or do
whatever tables do when things get too hot].
Parts can also extend to metaphysical parts as well, such as, as seen in
the
Argument from Motion, act and potency. Beings are composed of act and potency as much as they
are of their physical parts. Properties can also be seen as a metaphysical
part.
2 Ontological Priority
As briefly hinted at above, parts are in a sense fundamental to the whole
composite being. That is to say, parts can exist without the whole but the
whole cannot exist without the parts.
The parts are, so to speak, ontologically prior to the whole and the whole
is dependent on the parts[metaphysical and physical].
So, if the parts of a whole weren't arranged in a specific manner with
external factors being in a specific manner, then the whole would not be
able to exist.
So, in a sense, the parts[metaphysical parts, physical parts, external
factors, etc.] of a whole cause the whole to exist. And this causal
series, as we will see, is essentially-ordered.
3 Essentially-ordered Causal Series
Essentially-ordered causal series are causal series where prior members
of the series must continually exist in order for the causal series to
continue to exist and for later members to remain as they are in the
series as well. Further, in such causal series, there must necessarily
be a "first" and most fundamental member, or else the series would not
subsist.
To illustrate, take a stack of shirts that have been neatly folded. The
shirt at the bottom holds up the shirt above it, which in turn holds up
the shirt that is above that. Take the bottom shirt to be a prior member
and the shirts above it later members. If the bottom shirt were removed,
then this causal series of the shirts at the bottom causing the shirts
above it to be held up would cease and the shirts would all drop by one
shirt.
In this case, there necessarily had to have been a first shirt or else
all the other shirts would have dropped and not be able to cause shirts
on top to be held up anymore.
For more on essentially-ordered causal series, read
this and
this.
4 Causal Principle
Composite beings[I explain what I mean by being
here in the
1 Beings section] must be caused. More
specifically, caused by its parts, as discussed above. For example, the
existence of a book is caused by its metaphysical and physical parts as
well as certain external factors[which could themselves be said to be some
sort of metaphysical part, but that can be discussed another time].
Further, composite beings cannot be caused by itself, since nothing can be
the cause of itself, as to be able to cause oneself assumes that oneself
is already in existence. This is, as Feser characterises, an explanatory
vicious circle.
5 Absolute Simplicity
With all the background metaphysics in place, let us reason from the
existence of composite objects to the existence of a being that is
absolutely simple or non-composite.
First, we being by observing that composite objects exist. This is an
obvious fact of our reality.
Composite beings[or objects] must be caused, say by its parts. Yet, these
parts must themselves be caused by, say, smaller parts. But, as noted
above, this series is an essentially-ordered causal series, meaning that
it has a most fundamental member.
This fundamental member cannot be yet another composite being, or else it
would have to be itself caused by another thing. So, the fundamental
member must be an absolutely simple or utterly non-composite being that
has no parts and does not need to be caused by another being while being
the cause of all composite beings.
Formal Articulation of Stage 1
Put more formally, the argument would go like:
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