Arguments based on reason

Question 1

What argument does Anselm provide to support the existence of God?

Answer 1

-Definition of God - God is ‘that than which nothing greater can be conceived’. It is greater to exist in the mind and reality than in the mind alone, and because God is ‘that than which nothing greater can be conceived’, God must exist in reality.

Question 2

Guanilo criticism of Anslem’s ontological argument

Answer 2

Although Guanilo also believed in God, he criticised anslem’s use of logic and reasoning. Guanilo argues that using Anslems’s logical, if you have an understanding of something in your mind, it must exist in reality.

Question 3

Anselm’s response to Guanilo’s criticism

Answer 3

Anselm’s second formulation of the argument (proslogian 3) is a response to Guanilo.
-Guanilo is talking about an island, which is contingent. Anselm is talking about God, a different type of being, a necessary being.
-Anselm argues that since it is greater to be a necessary being than to be contingent, and God is the greatest conceivable being. so since God is a necessary being, God must exist.

Question 4

What is an analytic statement?

Answer 4

A statement that contains the truth needed to verify it within itself. It is true because of its meaning e.g. all bachelors are unmarried men

Question 5

What is a synthetic statement?

Answer 5

A statement that needs external evidence to verify whether it is true or false

Question 6

What is Kant’s criticism of the ontological argument?(anselms ontonological argument)

Answer 6

(-)Kant argues that all statements about existence must be synthetic, not analytic. You need to go outside of the concept and find external, synthetic evidence to prove its existence.

Question 7

Descartes view on the existence of God

Answer 7

(+)Existence is part of the essence of God, a perfect being just like three sides is part of the essence of a triangle. Existence cannot be separated from God. So God is logically necessary.

Question 8

Why are apriori arguments better to support the existence of God

Answer 8

(+)they use deductive reasoning, so the premises lead to a logical and certain conclusion. God is beyond this world and cannot be observed so belief should be based on reason.