The Ontological Argument
- Created by: ekenny5
- Created on: 08-05-22 16:16
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- The Ontological Argument
- A Priori
- using reasoning prior to experience
- theoretical and analytical
- deductive: aims to prove without question the existence of God - where others point to his existence
- God is true by definition
- using reasoning prior to experience
- St Anslem
- 1033-1109
- French monk who became the archbishop of Canterbury
- wrote the ontological argument as a prayer to God
- 'Proslogian'
- The First Formulation
- Psalm 'the fool says in his heart, there is no God'
- the 'fool' must have an understanding of God in order to reject him
- therefore atheists and theists have the same broad understanding of God
- the 'fool' must have an understanding of God in order to reject him
- the definition of God is that which nothing greater can be conceived
- both the atheist and the theist understand this
- God exists in everyone's mind
- the definition of God as being the greatest possible being. it is greater to exist in reality than just in the mind
- God cannot then just exist in the mind alone as it would contradict his definition
- God must therefore exist in the mind and in reality
- therefore God exists
- God must therefore exist in the mind and in reality
- God cannot then just exist in the mind alone as it would contradict his definition
- the definition of God as being the greatest possible being. it is greater to exist in reality than just in the mind
- God exists in everyone's mind
- both the atheist and the theist understand this
- Psalm 'the fool says in his heart, there is no God'
- The Second Formulation
- makes distinction between necessary and contingent beings
- contingent beings can or cannot exist
- necessary beings cannot not exist
- necessary beings are greater than contingent ones
- If God were contingent, he wouldn't be the greatest conceivable being
- God must be a necessary being
- therefore God must exist
- God must be a necessary being
- If God were contingent, he wouldn't be the greatest conceivable being
- Gaunilo
- 'On Behalf of the Fool'
- also a monk (believed in God)
- The Perfect Island
- if you were told to imagine the greatest conceivable island, it would exist in your mind
- logically, it must exist in order to be the greatest conceivable island
- this would not 'prove' that the island exists, just because of its definition
- yet is is non-sensical for it to exist in reality
- Other Criticisms
- we believe in things like gossip but that doesn't make it true
- we do not necessarily have a common understanding of God
- you cannot fully understand something from description alone
- can't define something into existence
- we can imagine God's non-existence as much as his existence
- Kant
- circular logic - the definition already includes existence
- if God exists, he exists necessarily, but he does not necessarily exist
- existence is not a predicate. saying something exists does not add anything to our understanding of it
- 100 thalers - you know what 100 thalers are whether they exist or not. saying 100 thalers exist does not add anything
- circular logic - the definition already includes existence
- Descartes
- God is a 'supremely perfect being'
- existence is fundamental to his essence
- 3 sides are fundamental to the essence of a triangle
- a mountain requires a valley, the two go together, the same way God and existence go together
- the mountain and the valley still go together even if they don't exist. God and existence go together so God must exist
- God is a 'supremely perfect being'
- A Priori
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