♥ Nine of Hearts
the teleological family
The Argument from Cosmic Order
Marcus Tullius Cicero
De natura deorum (On the Nature of the Gods)

DemonstrativeConcludes that something exists.
- Argument form
- Modus ponens
- Concludes to
- Intelligent agent (a mind governing the world)
- Premise ground
- Metaphysical (whatever moves with measure and regularity is governed by mind)
- Modal strength
- Actual
- What it licenses
- Period
- Ancient (45 BC)
- Tradition
- Stoic
Further reading
- Source text, public domain
De natura deorumdenaturadeorumac00ciceuoft.pdf - A scholarly account
Read an exposition of the argument - A principal objection
Read the objection in full
This formulation is ours, composed from the primary source and compressed to fit the card; the argument admits of other statements. Objections have been made to every argument in the deck; where one is linked above, it is chosen by us, not written by us.
ergocards.com/cosmic-order
© 2026 Athens & Jerusalem. All rights reserved.