1.3 the Ontological Argument

Question 1

What is a proposition?

Answer 1

A statement which expresses a judgement (it can be proven true or false)

Question 2

What is an a priori proposition?

Answer 2

A statement based on reason which is analytical and supports deductive arguments

e.g all triangles have 3 sides

Question 3

What is an analytic proposition?

Answer 3

A statement which is true by definition and a statement which is true based on reason

Question 4

What is a deductive argument?

Answer 4

An argument which goes from general premises to specific conclusions

If the premises are true the conclusion is certain

Question 5

Why is the ontological argument catagorised as an analytical a priori argument?

Answer 5

Anselm believes that the existence of God is part of the definition of God

God is greater than anything else of that than which can be concieved

Question 6

What does Anselm think God is?

Answer 6

• God is that then which nothing greater can be concieved
• God is the best thing you can think of

Question 7

What is necessary existence?

Answer 7

A being which must exist, whose existence is necessary for the existence of everything else

Question 8

What is Aseity?

Answer 8

• Self sufficiency; having an existence originated from having no other source than itself
• God contains within himself the means for existence and so his existence is necessary

Question 9

Pros and Cons of the aseity of God justifying his existence

Answer 9

PRO
* For Anselm, perfection is part of the concept of God and perfection entails existence
* If God is perfect then God must exist. He has to exist by definition
* uses a priori reasoning

CON
* Not everyone thinks of God the same, the best thing is different for everybody
* only true premises lead to valid conclusions

Question 10

Is God true by definition?

Answer 10

Psalm: ‘The fool says in his heart that there is no God’
Even though the fool doesnt believe in God he understands the concept of God

Question 11

What is the first formulation of the OA?

Answer 11

• Based on the word God and what is meant when it is said
• God is short for TTWNCCBC
• When a believer speaks of God they understand what is meant of the concept of God

P1) Nothing greater than God can be thought of
P2) It is greater to exist than not to exist
Conc) God exists

Question 12

Pros and Cons of the First Formulation of the OA

Answer 12

PRO
* A priori
* analytical
* deductive
* lots of academic thinkers
* Starting point is valid for theists and athiests

CON
* no empirical evidence
* premises do not apply to everyone
* not coherent

Question 13

What is Guanilo’s perfect island?

Answer 13

P1) I can concieve an island which that no greater island can be thought
P2) such an island must posses all perfections
P3) existence is a perfection
Conc) The island exists

The most famous criticism, Guanilo argues that just because it can be concieved does not mean it exists

Question 14

What is the Second Formulation of the OA?

Answer 14

• God exists because not only is God TTWNGCBC, he is also a being with necessary existence
• The perfect island is a contingent thing and not possible for it to exist

P1) God is a being TTWNGCBC
P2) Being impossible to imagine as necessary is greater than being impossible to imagine as contingent
Conc) God exists

Question 15

What did Norman Malcom believe?

Answer 15

1911-1990 support’s anselm’s argument and agrees with the concept of necessary existence

Question 16

Outline the argument of Norman Malcom

Answer 16

P1) God has necessary existence
OR
P2) God doesn’t exist
OR
P3) God has contingent existence

Question 17

Pros and Cons of the second formation of the OA

Answer 17

PRO
* Necessary refers to the eternal and transcendent nature of God’s existence, which means God is outside time and space but is able to act within it
* If God did not exist in this way, Anselm would say that we would not exist either. And here we are!

CON
* Why can’t there be infinite regression of beings without creating a necessary being?

Question 18

What are some strengths of the OA?

Answer 18

1. Deductive argument, certain not just probable
2. God exists is an a priori argument- if you believe the very nature of God includes existence, you’ll argue ‘god exists’ which is an analytical statement true by definition
3. Descartes: impossible to imagine God not existing just like it’s impossible to imagine a triangle without angles adding uo to 180 degrees
   God’s perfections are a part of God

Question 19

Is the OA effective?

Answer 19

• Descartes strengthens the case for the OA: difference between beliefs based ‘clearly and distinctly’ percieving the truth and other ideas which aren’t based on clear and distinct understandings
• As long as we accept only what we clearly and distinctively concieve to be the case, we will be guarenteed not to make a mistake. Descartes says that he has a clear and distinct conception of God

Question 20

Who was Descartes?

Answer 20

A french philosopher and rationalist (believes reason is the chief source of knowledge)

Question 21

What did Aquinas believe?

What type of thinker was he

Answer 21

He was an empiricist (believes that all knowledge is based in experience that comes from our senses)

Question 22

What were the weaknesses proposed by Aquinas?

Answer 22

• We don’t have an agreed definition of God
• We can only reason God’s action in the world. For Aquinas any argument has to come from experience
• Doesn’t think humans can know God’s nature
• If we were all knowing like God we would know God’s nature does have to include existence. But we don’t so we treat ‘God exists’ as a synthetic statement, which we prove through physical evidence

Question 23

What were the weaknesses proposed by Dawkins?

Answer 23

• Thought the OA, which doesnt have any empirical evidence to back it up was infantile.
• Automatic reaction to the OA should be suspicion because it ‘lacked any single piece of data from the real world’