Infinite regress

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Infinite regress is a philosophical concept in which each entity in an infinite series depends on its predecessor, following a recursive principle. For example, the classic chicken-and-egg paradox illustrates a causal infinite regress: if one assumes that every chicken must hatch from an egg, which in turn must have been laid by a preceding chicken, one gets a causal chain without a first cause. An infinite regress argument is an argument against a theory based on the fact that this theory leads to an infinite regress. For such an argument to be successful, it must demonstrate not just that the theory in question entails an infinite regress but also that this regress is vicious. There are different ways in which a regress can be vicious. The most serious form of viciousness involves a contradiction in the form of metaphysical impossibility. Other forms occur when the infinite regress is responsible for the theory in question being implausible or for its failure to solve the problem it was...

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