Ontological Flashcards
What are the structural features of the ontological argument?
- Apriori
- Deductive
What is a contingent and necessary being?
C = needs something else to exist
N = self sufficient existence
What is the ontological argument?
- God is the greatest conceivable being, that which no greater can be conceived.
- Things can exist in the mind alone or both in the mind and in reality
- It is greater to exist both in the mind and in reality
- The greatest conceivable being must exist both the mind and in reality
- God exists in both the mind and in reality
What is the general first attack to the ontological argument?
The first premise isn’t analytic.
All Anslem is entitled to say is that “if God exists, he is the greatest possible being, and is necessary”
What is Guanilo’s attack on Anslem’s ontological argument + response?
This can be applied to anything that is the greatest.
Perfect island example
Response: An island is contingent - depends on the water around it, and the definition of an island doesn’t entail that it is perfect. God has to be perfect and is therefore a necessary being.
- God is the greatest conceivable being, that which no greater can be conceived.
- It is greater to exist in both the mind and in reality
- Things are either contingent or necessary
- It is greater to exist necessarily
- God must exist necessarily.
What is Kant’s objection to the ontological argument?
The predicate (property) of existence doesn’t add anything meaningful to the subject of a triangle.
Existence is a verb, not an adjective (predicate).
Furthermore, we can only find out empirically whether God exists.
What is the conclusion for the ontological argument?
- Little about what God is actually like
- exemplary model for academic discourse
- encourages believers to constantly evolve their conceptions of God
- If he succeeds, Anslem brings God talk to the VP.
- It was just a prayer to God, not meant to be a proof
- should be used in accordance with other proofs and R.exp
