ARGUMENTS FOR MONOTHEISM 201whose existence it is logically possible to explain, something has
necessary existential security.
13 Something has necessary existential security.
14 Both explaining the existence of things whose existence it is
logically possible to explain and having necessary existential
security are non-basic properties of anything that has them.
15 If having necessary existential security is a non-basic property of
anything that has it, then the something that has necessary
existential security has some other property whose possession
explains its having necessary existential security.
16 The something that has necessary existential security has some
other property whose possession explains its having necessary
existential security.
17 The only properties that something might have that would explain
its having necessary existential security are A: having logically
necessary existence or B: being omnipotent, omniscient, and
morally perfect.
18 Something has A or B.
19 The concept of something that has A but lacks B is the concept of an
abstract object, and since abstract objects lack causal powers they
cannot explain the existence of anything whose existence it is
logically possible to explain; thus having A will not explain
anything having the property explaining the existence of things
whose existence it is not logically impossible to explain.
20 The concept of a being that has B but lacks A is the concept of a
being that has causal powers and whose existence can explain the
existence of anything whose existence it is logically possible to
explain; thus having B will explain anything having the property
explaining the existence of things whose existence it is logically
possible to explain.
21 The concept of a being that has B and also has A is also the concept
of a being that has causal powers and whose existence can explain
the existence of anything whose existence it is logically possible to
explain; thus having A and B will explain anything having the
property explaining the existence of things whose existence it is
logically possible to explain.
22 Something exists that has B.
23 The concept of something that has B is the concept of God, conceived
either as having logically necessary existence or as having logically
contingent existence, but in either case as possessing necessary
existential security and causal powers that can explain the existence
of anything whose existence it is logically possible to explain.
24 God exists.