ARGUMENTS FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD: The Ontological Argument

Question 1

What does deductive mean?

Answer 1

An argument based on premises that make towards a logically necessary conclusion

Question 2

A priori meaning

Answer 2

Something knowable without reference to sense experience

Question 3

Analytical meaning

Answer 3

An argument which is true or false based on the definition of its premises

Question 4

Who is Anselm?

Answer 4

Italian Philosopher and theologian

First devised the ontological argument in parts two and three of ‘the proslogian’

Question 5

Characteristics of the OA

Answer 5

A priori
Deductive
Analytical

Question 6

What does Anselm say about the definition of god?

Answer 6

‘That than which nothing greater can be conceived’

God is perfect and the greatest being imaginable

Question 7

Why according to Anselm must god exist in reality?

Answer 7

If he existed only in the mind we could imagine a more perfect god- one that existed in the mind and in reality
Existence alone isn’t enough as that would make god like us. Gods existence is necessary because his existence imposes itself on our thoughts when we think of the word god

Question 8

What does Anselm say about the fool?

Answer 8

Even the ‘fool’ has the concept of god in their mind in order to reject him

Question 9

Quote from Psalm 14

Answer 9

Only the fool hath said in his heart that there is no god

Question 10

What is the reductio ad absurdum argument for the OA?

Answer 10

It’s absurd to say god doesn’t exist
If you say he doesn’t exist you are changing the definition of god for existence is part of his definition as a perfect being

Question 11

Who is Gaunilo?

Answer 11

Benedictine monk known for his response to Anselm in ‘on behalf of the fool’

Question 12

Gaunilo quote from on behalf of the fool

Answer 12

An object can hardly or never be conceived according to the word alone

Question 13

What is Gaulino’s criticism about the fool?

Answer 13

The fool could have loads of made up things in his head

Gossip for instance is unreliable- how should he be able to discern from what is true and false?

Question 14

What is Gaunilos criticism about not being able to define things into existence?

Answer 14

The lost island can be said to exist in the same format as Anselms argument for god: TTWNGCBC, greater to exist in reality than in the mind. Therefore the LI must exist
The lost island doesn’t exist despite the logical argument claiming it does so how can we trust Anselms version?

Question 15

What would be Anselms response to Gaunilos lost island?

Answer 15

Islands can only exist contingently (their non existence is always a possibility). But god exists necessarily because only the greatest conceivable being can exist necessarily
An island can’t possess maximal qualities whereas gods supposed properties are Maximal (can’t be more than all powerful)

Question 16

How does Kant respond to the lost island?

Answer 16

It’s always possible to imagine a greater island
There’s no maximum amount of riches it could have
So the concept of a perfect island is incoherent as you could always make it more perfect

Question 17

Who is Descartes?

Answer 17

French philosopher

Question 18

How does Descartes show the necessity for existence to be part of gods essence?

Answer 18

Existence can no more be separated from gods essence than the fact that a triangles 3 angles equal 2 right angles

Question 19

What is a predicate?

Answer 19

Something that adds to the property of a subject

Question 20

What is a defining predicate?

Answer 20

A description that is necessary to the concept

Question 21

Does Rene Descartes describe god as existing?

Answer 21

Yes as existence is a defining predicate of god; it’s inconceivable for Him to not exist
To deny his existence is as absurd as saying ‘the existing such and such does not exist’ (Mackie)
God’s essence includes existence and what belongs to the essence of something can’t be denied of it

Question 22

Can Descartes’ argument about existence apply to objects affected by time and space?

Answer 22

No, only god can have necessary existence- there can’t be two absolutes
Russell (unicorns) and Maltby (hobbits) try and establish the necessary existence of contingent, fictional objects

Question 23

How does Kant object to Descartes and predicates?

Answer 23

Existence is assumed and not a predicate; doesn’t tell us anything additional/add to our understanding
Existence doesn’t add to the essence of god as it’s not a property that you can ascribe an item alongside other properties
A god that exists may be more useful but knowing he exists doesn’t add to his essence

Question 24

How does Kant argue for existence as a synthetic proposition?

Answer 24

Existence has to be proven
Saying god doesn’t exist isn’t a contradiction as unless we assume he exists in the first place we can’t make contradictory statements about it

Question 25

What are objections to Kant?

Answer 25

Anselm isn’t saying that a denial of god is a contradiction
Instead he is suggesting that the greatest conceivable being can’t exist merely in the mind
Existence is a meaningful predicate when applied to an object which can be conceived of as existing or not existing

Question 26

What is Alvin Plantinga’s Modal OA?

Answer 26

There’s a possible world in which there exists a being of maximal greatness. A being has maximal greatness only if it exists in every possible world, has omnipotence, omniscience and moral perfection
Therefore there’s a being with such qualities in our world

Question 27

What is a syllogism?

Answer 27

Deductive argument moving from the general to the specific

Question 28

What does Russell say about if existence were a predicate?

Answer 28

Then you’d get the syllogism that: men exist, Santa is a man, so Santa exists. Santa is fictional and belongs to a separate category to the men of the first proposition so we’ve misused the word ‘exist’
Existence isn’t a property but an idea e.g. dragons don’t exist. We have an idea of what a dragon means and we know it doesn’t exist- a dRaGonS non existence is an extension of ‘dragon’, not part of the description provided.

Question 29

What are Gottlob Frege’s predicates?

Answer 29

First order predicates provide info about specific objects
Second order predicates don’t apply to a specific object but a concept
Existence isn’t a first or second order predicate and so can’t be used as a predicate to prove gods existence

Question 30

Strengths of the OA

Answer 30

Deductive and a priori so if it works it provides absolute proof for God’s existence
Doesn’t rely on human experience- protected from unreliable evidence
Anselms definition of God matches the traditional thoughts about God

Question 31

Weaknesses of OA

Answer 31

Arguments for existence are empirically based; they need evidence
Humans can’t know or attempt to define God. If we do, we limit him

Question 32

Positive value of OA for religious faith

Answer 32

Works for those who believe in God as it is rational

Reasoned belief that reinforces belief in

Question 33

Negative value of OA for religious faith

Answer 33

Fideists think use of rational arguments to find evidence devalues faith
Christian philosopher Barth rejects attempts to prove God through reason- He can only be known through revelation and Anselm never intended for the Proslogian to be used as an argument to prove gods existence through logic. Anselm tries to understand the God he believed in