ONTOLOGICAL Flashcards
What do ontological arguments claim to demonstrate?
That the statement ‘God exists’ is analytically true, meaning that it would be incoherent to doubt God exists.
What type of argument is the ontological argument?
A priori. Begins from first principles and definitions.
What was Anselm’s definition of God?
“a being than which nothing greater can be conceived.”
What did Anselm argue about real existence?
That something that really exists is bound to be greater than something that exists in thought.
What is the essential idea of Anselm’s argument?
Existence is a predicate of God. He cannot fail to exist.
What did Gaunilo argue Anselm’s conclusion was?
‘Unintelligible’ as it cannot show that God necessarily exists.
What is Gaunilo’s island argument?
If someone told you about the most perfect island, you could imagine that. If they told you it would be even better if it was real, you would believe them. Then ‘it must exist.’
What does Gaunilo conclude?
You cannot define things into existence just because you imagine them.
What was Anselm’s response to Gaunilo?
An island has contingent existence, whereas God has a necessary existence.
How does Alvin Plantinga critique Gaunilo?
Argues that islands have no ‘intrinsic maximum’ that is, an island can always be made better.
How did Descartes define his ontological argument?
‘God is a supremely perfect being’.
What is Descartes triangle analogy?
Existence is part of the essence of God in the way that three angles adding up to 180 are part of the essence of a triangle.
What conclusion does Descartes draw?
Because God has all the perfections, and existence is a perfection, God therefore exists.
What did Kant argue?
That existence was not a ‘predicate’.
How does Tillich support Anselm’s argument?
God does not ‘exist’ in the same way that things in the universe exist.
What does Russell claim about Anslem?
Uses the word ‘exists’ incorrectly.
What does Aquinas reject?
The argument because human beings are not in a position to understand God’s nature.
What does Anselm argue in the second form of his argument?
God is that than which nothing greater can be thought.
What is an analytic proposition?
A proposition that is true by definition.
What is a synthetic proposition?
A proposition which adds something to our understanding, beyond the definition of the word.
What does Anselm claim about the statement ‘God exists’?
That it is analytic - the concept of God includes the concept f existence, and without existence, the term ‘God’ would not apply.
What does Aquinas state in criticism of Anslem?
That God’s existence cannot be regarded as self-evident.
What did Aquinas question from Anslem’s argument?
Whether everyone would accept Anselm’s definition of God as ‘that than which nothing greater can be thought.’
What did Aquinas state that we have to accept?
That God is mysterious and beyond human comprehension.
What was Kant’s major criticism of Descartes’ argument?
‘Existence is not a predicate.’
What did Kant argue about existence?
Not the same as a predicate, it does not tell us anything about the object that would help us to identify it in any way.
What did Kant say in criticism of Descartes triangle analogy?
We can predict that a triangle has three sides, but we would have to investigate to find out whether the triangle we are picturing in our minds has been actualised.
What statement did Russell ask us to think of? To prove what?
“The present king of France is bald” this statement is not true, our use of words is not enough to demonstrate that something exists.
