1D: Deductive Arguments - Origins of the Ontological Argument

Question 1

What is a deductive argument?

Answer 1

• a form of reasoning. Starts with premises and if you accept these premises as true, then scientific conclusions can be drawn from them.

Question 2

What is an Ontological Argument?

Answer 2

• attempts to prove God existence through deductive reasoning

Question 3

Examples of Ontological arguments?

Answer 3

• Anselm (original) - 1033-1109
• Descartes (development) - 1596-1650
• Malcolm (development) - 1724-1804

Question 4

Who was Anselm?

Answer 4

• Italian monk and a theologian of the Roman Catholic Church.
• he was the Archbishop of Canterbury and constructed his ontological argument as a prayer

Question 5

Background of Anselm’s argument?

Answer 5

• Anselm was a Catholic monk, who was later made a Saint by the Roman Catholic Church
• his argument was written in his book Proslogian but as a prayer.
• has two parts:
  1) Anselm aims to prove God exists
  2) Anselm attempts to prove that God is a ‘Necessary being’ (eternal)

Question 6

What was Anselm’s argument - pt1?

Answer 6

• God is ‘that than which nothing greater can be conceived’ - nothing is greater than God
• Anselm states that even non-believers can understand this premise
• ‘is it greater for something to just exists in the mind or in reality as well?’ - everyone would agree things that exist in reality as well as in the mind are ‘greater’
• Anselm argues that even a fool would have to accept that a God in reality and the mind is greater than just a God in the mind.
• therefore, we can draw the conclusion that God must exist in reality as well as the mind

Question 7

What was Anselm’s argument - pt2?

Answer 7

• for Anselm simply proving God exists was not enough - then he would just be like any other human being.
• ## therefore he wanted to show that God is a ‘necessary being’ as opposed to a ‘contingent being’