(April 3, 2013 at 10:48 am)MysticKnight Wrote: Well, if something occurred that was not caused, it would not be an effect. It would simply be an event. If something popped into existence without a cause, it would not be an effect, it would be simply an existence.
Effect by definition implies a cause. The question, is everything necessarily an effect? Theists will say God is not an effect. Naturalism will say the universe originally was not an effect.
However, you can't state the universe is an effect and at the same time not caused. That seems like a contradiction. Infinite regress of cause and effect, contradicts itself.
I expect the universe may be an example of an uncaused cause. However, that doesn't mean that an infinite regress contradicts itself.