Some have held that this question cannot be given a satisfactory answer within the constraints
imposed by a traditional theistic framework, a framework which sees the universe as contingent on God’s
free choice to create it. However, I shall argue that, whilst traditional theism certainly does place constraints
on possible answers to the title question, on assumptions which are themselves plausible, these constraints
leave open various possibilities for understanding the reasons God may have had as He decided whether or
not to create something other than Himself.
