Chapter 2 Flashcards
What are the three sections of Chapter 2?
- The Ontological Argument
- Developments of the Ontological Argument
- Challenges to the Ontological Argument
Who is the key scholar and texts of the Ontological Argument?
- Anselm
- Proslogian 2
- Proslogian 3
How does Anselm define God?
“That Than Which Nothing Greater Can Be Conceived”
What does Proslogian 2 argue?
- God is the greatest being conceivable - difference between in re and in intellectu - if God only exists in mind then something greater must exist so God must exist
What does Proslogian 3 argue?
- response to Gaunilo’s challenges
- necessary beings are greater than contingent - God is the greatest being conceivable so must exist contingently
Psalm 14:1
“The fool says in his heart ‘There is no God’”
Who are the scholars for the Developments of the Ontological Argument?
- Rene Descartes
- Norman Malcolm
What is Rene Descartes’ development?
- God is supremely perfect
- existence is a predicate of supremely being - God exists in most perfect way
- like tallness and giant
What is Rene Descartes’ analogy of triangles?
- predicate of triangle is that is has three sides and three angles adding up to 180 - otherwise not triangle
- if God did not exist would not be supremely perfect
What is Rene Descartes’ analogy of mountains and valleys?
- mountain cannot exist without a valley
- God’s existence is self-evident - concept of God means God must exist
What is Norman Malcolm’s development?
God is an unlimited being - better than limited
- God’s existence is not self contradictory so not impossible; If God’s existence is possible then it would be limited so not God; God’s existence is necessary
Who are the key scholars for the challenges to the Ontological Argument?
- Gaunilo
- Immanuel Kant
What is Gaunilo’s challenges?
- “perfect island” argument - argues God into existence rather than proves - perfect island must exist because it would be perfect
- cannot add ‘exists’ to description and argue it is real
- reductio ad absurdum
What is Immanuel Kant’s challenge?
existence is not a predicate - not a characteristic that adds anything to understanding of object
What is Kant’s 100 Thalers argument?
- imagining 100 Thalers and describing their shape and size, adding ‘exists’ to description does not add or take away a coin from reality
How does Kant challenge the triangle and mountains analogies?
- we can reject the concept of triangles and mountains - reject God as TTWNGCBC
How does Bertrand Russell describe the Ontological Argument?
“Linguistic Trickery”
