cosmologique

Cosmologique is an adjective used to describe things related to cosmology, the scientific study of the origin, evolution, and large-scale structure of the universe. In English-language scholarship, the corresponding term is cosmological, while cosmologique appears in French and is encountered in translations or quotations from French sources.

In science, cosmologique appears in terms such as the cosmological constant (constante cosmologique), cosmological model (modèle cosmologique), and the cosmological principle (principe cosmologique). The cosmological constant, often denoted Lambda, was introduced by Einstein and, in modern cosmology, is associated with dark energy and the accelerating expansion of the universe within the Lambda-CDM framework. The cosmological principle posits that, on sufficiently large scales, the universe is homogeneous and isotropic, a simplifying assumption that underpins many theoretical models and interpretations of observational data.

In philosophy, cosmologique appears in the phrase argument cosmologique, a class of arguments that attempt to infer a necessary being from the existence or contingency of the universe. Notable variants include the Kalam cosmological argument and Leibniz’s argument from sufficient reason; discussions focus on causation, contingency, and the nature of explanation.

Etymology: the term derives from Greek kosmos meaning 'world' or 'order,' combined with a suffix related to study or reasoning. While primarily used in French-language contexts, cosmologique also appears in English discussions when referencing French sources or translational usage.