a priori: ontological Flashcards
A priori.
Something knowable by reason alone.
Who coined the term ‘ontological argument’.
Immanuel Kant.
Where is Anselm’s ontological argument found.
Proslogion.
Anslems motto.
‘Credo un intelligam’, i believe so that i may understand.
Anselm’s definition of God.
Something than which nothing greater can be concieved.
Ibn Sina on contradiction.
“Anyone who denies the law of non-contradiction should be beaten and burned until they he admits that to be beaten is not the same as not to be beaten.”
Boethius’ four categories.
- possible to be.
- possible not to be.
- not possible to be.
- not possible not to be.
Scientific belief in Anselm’s time.
That some things are necessary and permanent, such as the moon, earth and sun.
Gaunilo of Marmoutiers text.
In Behalf of the Fool.
Gaunilo’s objection.
That Anselm’s logic can be used to hypothesise anything, including a lost perfect island, which is absurd.
St Anselm’s response to Gaunilo.
An island is contingent, God is non-contingent.
John Hick on Gaunilo.
A ‘perfect’ island is not definable.
Anselm’s defence of his argument.
If God cannot be thought not to be then how can the fool think ‘there is no good’.
Two ways in which something is self evident (Aquinas).
- In itself.
- For us.
Predicate.
Grammatical term refering to the description of a concept.
Aquinas on Gods self evidence.
“God exists in itself self-evidence because God is His own essence.”
Descartes on God’s defining predicate.
God is by definition perfect, so contains all perfections including that of existence. Existence is a defining predicate of God.
Kant’s criticisms of Descartes.
- If existence is a defining predicate of God, one can still reject God and His defining predicates entirely - i can reject God and his necessary existence.
- Existence is not a predicate so cannot be a defining predicate; saying x exists does not contribute to our concept of x.
John Cottingham on the ontological argument.
That it helps rationalise the beliefs of those who are already believers but fails to convince atheists fully.
