The principle of sufficient reason states that all things have a root cause, which can be external or internal. It explains seemingly unplanned events through the idea that there is a sufficient reason behind them. Leibniz identified two principles, the principle of contradiction and the best principle, which explain all truths.
The principle of reason basically states that all things that exist or happen have a root cause. This cause can be external, such as a ball flying through the air because a foot kicked it, or internal, such as a person kicking the ball because they enjoy it. The principle first appeared in some form in the works of Parmenides, but the term was coined by Gottfried Leibniz, who is also very well known for the idea. Leibniz said that all truth is truth either because its negation implies a contradiction or because it is for the better.
A basic understanding of the principle of sufficient reason is that all things have a root cause or reason for their being. In essence, it is the logical equivalent of saying that nothing comes from nothing. If a man jumps off a skyscraper, it’s not enough to assume it just happened; there must be a cause somewhere. This cause can be an external factor or an internal factor.
An external factor comes from something other than the thing itself. For example, if the man jumps off a skyscraper, he might do so because he was threatened with torture by a kidnapper if he didn’t jump. The reason everything falls towards the earth is because all matter in the universe is attracted to each other and bigger things have a greater gravitational pull. This principle aims to explain all arbitrary – seemingly unplanned – events through the idea that there is a sufficient reason behind them.
Internal factors are often more difficult to determine, but are essentially reasons that come from within the agent of a particular action. For example, the man may jump from a skyscraper because he has determined that existence has no ultimate purpose and he is not enjoying it. The principle of sufficient reason implies that there are no unexplainable things or events.
Leibniz, the philosopher most famous for the principle of sufficient reason, said that all truths depend on one of two principles. The principle of contradiction states that there must be some truth if denying an idea or event precipitates a contradiction. For example, Leibniz either definitely existed or he didn’t exist – he couldn’t have done both, so one must be the truth. Leibniz identified the second principle as the best principle, which states that everything that is true is true because it is for the best.
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