Anslem Flashcards
Q: What is the first step before proving God’s existence according to Anselm?
Define what is meant by “God.”
List the different conceptions of God mentioned in the notes
God of scripture (religious texts)
God as an absolutely perfect being (ontological argument)
God as the first cause (cosmological argument)
God as a designer (teleological argument)
God as a transcendent source of meaning
What are the key questions when analyzing an argument about God’s existence?
What do the author’s terms mean?
What is their argument trying to prove?
Does the argument successfully establish its conclusion?
How should arguments be judged?
Based on their aims, not faulted for proving one thing and not another.
What is excluded from philosophical reasoning in the context of proving God’s existence?
Religious experience and revelation.
What is Anselm’s definition of God?
“Something than which nothing greater can be thought.”
What analogy does Anselm use to explain his argument?
The analogy of the painter who imagines a painting before actually painting it.
What does the painter analogy highlight?
The distinction between existence in the understanding (conceptual) and existence in reality (actual).
What are the key premises of Anselm’s Ontological Argument?
God exists in our understanding.
It is greater to exist in reality than in the mind alone.
If God existed only in the mind, God would be imperfect.
God, by definition, is perfect.
Therefore, God must exist in both the mind and reality.
What example is used to illustrate the premise that it is greater to exist in reality than in the mind alone?
A cake in reality is greater than a cake in the imagination.
What is Gaunilo’s critique of Anselm’s argument?
He argues that if Anselm’s reasoning were valid, we could prove the existence of a perfect island in reality just by imagining it.
What question does Gaunilo’s critique raise about Anselm’s argument?
Does Anselm’s argument apply only to God, or is it flawed in general?
What are some questions for reflection on Anselm’s Ontological Argument?
Are you convinced by Anselm’s argument? Why or why not?
What does it mean for something to exist in the mind?
Why does Anselm assume it is greater to exist in reality than in the mind alone?
Does Gaunilo’s argument effectively challenge Anselm’s reasoning?
If Anselm’s logic applies to God, does it apply to other “perfect” things?
