Deductive Arguments -Ontological (T2)

• Ontology explores the concept of existence.
• "Ontos" means "being"
• Existence can refer to several kinds different types of existence
• Ontological Arguments use logic to conclude God's existence, rather than sensory experience 
• according to the Ontological argument, everything exists contingently
• We are contingent because we rely on food,oxygen and we would not exist without our parents 

• According to religious believers, God is NECESSARY rather than contingent.
• God has not come about because of anything, there was no time when God did not exist 
• Nothing that could happen that would cause God to cease to exist. God's existence is different

Anselm was the Archbishop of Canterbury and a Benedictine Monk.

• created an ontological argument, to demonstrate the rationality behind his own faith
• his perspective is reffed to as "faith seeking understanding"
• his argument is set out in his book Proslogion

His argument is presented in 2 forms they are:

• Proslogion 2 
• Proslogion 3

• To Anselm everyone, even atheists understand God to be a pinnacle of everything 
• it is impossible to think of anything greater than God

Anselm refers to Psalm 53 in his work " the fool says in his heart, There is no God" 

Anselm found it difficult to understand how anyone could have the concept of God as That Which Nothing Greater Can Be Conceived. and not believe in God,

Analytic Propositions

are statements which are true by definition. for example, "bachelors are unmarried men" is an analytic statement because the word  " bachelor " means "unmarried man" 

Anselm believed that the statement "God exists" is analytic because the concept of God includes the concept of existence. Without existence, the term God would not apply.

Synthetic Propositions

Something which adds to our understanding; it goes beyond the definition of something.For example "that animal is brown" is a synthetic statement because the concept of an animal does not necessarily mean that it is brown.

1) God is That Than Which Nothing Greater can be conceived 

2) A real existent being would be greater than an imaginary, illusory being 

3) Therefore the concept of God is surpassed, by an actual existent God

God is understood by all to be the highest sum of all perfections, nothing can be better than God in any way. with this idea of God in out heads, He must exist in reality.

A God who only exists in our head would be inferior to a real God.

God exists to meet our definition.

Supporters of this argument use analogies to make their point clear e.g. Imagine winning the lottery.This is rubbish compared to actually winning the lottery. 

God is the same - an imaginary God is nowhere near as good as a real one,nothing can be better than God.

1) God is That Than Which Nothing Greater Can Be Conceived

2) Contingent beings and are inferior to necessary beings

3) Because God is TTWNGCBC 

4) Therefore, God exists necessarily

Anselm is arguing that God must exist because a necessary being cannot fail to exist - only contingent beings do that.

It makes no sense to talk of a God who doesn't exist because he would not be God.

Gaunilo claimed that the flaws in Anselm's logic would become obvious if one were to go through the argument again

Replacing the idea of God with the idea of an island. He explained that we could imagine and understand a perfect island.

• an influential mathematician, philosopher and scientist
• influenced by Plato and Anselm
• believed that people are born with innate ideas  
• thought that we understand concept of shape and numbers from birth 
• born with an understanding of God

uses an analogy of a triangle 

• all triangles have 3 sides and add to 180 degrees 

he also uses an analogy of mountains and stated that valleys are part of their existence, the two cannot be separated

according to Descartes

• God is understood to be a supremely perfect being
• supremely perfect being must contain all perfections( attributes of God)
• Existence is a perfection- and he must be unchanging 
• therefore God must possess existence
• therefore God exists necessarily