Arguments based on reason

Question 1

Analytic statements

Answer 1

Statements that are true by definition
ie a triangle has three sdies

Question 2

Synthetic statements

Answer 2

Statements that may or may not be proven true by evidence
ie your car is red

Question 3

Predicate

Answer 3

A quality or property of something

Question 4

Necessary

Answer 4

Something that can’t not be true or can’t not exist

Question 5

Contingent

Answer 5

Something that could not be true or could not exist

Question 6

Anselm’s definition of God

Answer 6

” God is a being than which nothing greater can be conceived”
Basis for his ontological arguments

Question 7

Anselm’s ontological argument

Answer 7

God is the greatest possible being and superior to everything
Things can exist in the mind or in both the mind and reality
Things only in the mind are inferior to things in reality
Ergo, God must exist as God cannot be inferior
Argues “God exists” is an analytic statement

Question 8

Gaunilo’s criticisms of Anselm

Answer 8

1. you cannot define into existence: you cannot prove what exists from what is said
2. the perfect island: if you replace the word “God” with “perfect island” in Anselm’s argument it highlights how stupid it is

Question 9

Anselm’s response to Gaunilo

Answer 9

God is a necessary being
If He was contingent, He’d rely on something else to exist
This would make Him imperfect, so He must be necessary and therefore must exist

Question 10

Platinga’s response to Gaunilo

Answer 10

The island analogy doesn’t work, as there can’t be a perfect island
The features that make an island great have no intrinsic maximum - trees, views
God is not like an island - there is a maximum to perfection
REBUTTAL: nitpicking over the island doesn’t detract from the point of the island, which is showing that Anselm is shit

Question 11

Descartes’ ontological argument

Answer 11

God is a perfect being
Existence is a predicate of perfection
God must exist
Like how a triangle must have three angles to be a triangle, God must exist to be God

Question 12

Kant on Descartes’ argument

Answer 12

If God exists, God must be necessary: however, you don’t have to accept that God exists in the first place
“God exists” is not an analytic statement, it is synthetic and needs proving

Question 13

Evidence for Kant on the ontological argument

Answer 13

If you had a triangle you would have 3 angles, but that does not mean you have a triangle in the first place
“All existential propositions are synthetic” - you have to prove things exist, they cannot exist by definition because existence is not a predicate

Question 14

Kant’s main attack on the ontological argument

Answer 14

Existence is not a predicate, because to describe something as existent adds no detail to its description
Whether or not something exists isn’t part of what makes it what it is

Question 15

Strength of deductive (a priori) arguments

Answer 15

If a deductive argument’s premises are true, it is impossible for the conclusion to be false

Question 16

Weakness of deductive (a priori) arguments

Answer 16

If any of a deductive argument’s premises can be shown to be false, the conclusion cannot be true

Question 17

Strength of inductive (a posteriori) arguments

Answer 17

Because these arguments are not meant to be prove beyond possible doubt but instead to indicate the most likely conclusion, they can survive some premises being challenged

Question 18

Weakness of inductive (a posteriori) arguments

Answer 18

They cannot arrive at certain conclusions, they can only point at the most likely conclusion