Richard Taylor thinks that we can show, by appealing to the principle of sufficient reason, that there is a God.Just as the existence of any particular contingent being requires an explanation, so too the existence of the totality of contingent beings requires an explanation. Now the totality of contingent beings is the world; so the existence of the world requires an explanation. Why does there exist a world at all? The only plausible explanation is that the world is grounded on a necessary being -- and this necessary being is God.
This exercise deals with a reading from Taylor in our anthology (pages 187-96 of Philosophy of Religion: Selected Readings (second edition), edited by Peterson, Hasker, Reichenbach, and Basinger). These computerized exercise materials are copyrighted (c) 2002 by Harry J. Gensler; but they may be distributed freely.