Ontological arguements and issues

Question 1

What is Anselm’s Ontological argument?

(Apriori Deductive argument to prove God’s existence)

Answer 1

P1- God is defined as the greatest possible being that could be conceived
P2-Even the fool (Atheist) can conceive of God as the greatest possible being (It’s a coherent concept that is in our understanding)
P3- Its greater to exist in both understanding and reality rather than understanding itself
C- Therefore the greatest possible being God must exist in understanding and reality (Because he is the greatest conceivable being that we understand)

Question 2

What is Gaunilo’s Perfect Island analogy?

(Counter to Anslem, reductive argument)

Answer 2

Disagrees with Anselm’s entire argument, (Mainly C1 AND P3) questions the claim that we can prove God’s existence through conceptual understanding alone. Claims its not enough to understand to understand nature of God as greatest concievable being to prove his existence

P1- there is a lost island that is the most excellent of all islands
P2- Nobody has difficulty conceiving of this lost island as the most excellent
P3- it is greater to exist in understanding and reality rather than understanding alone
C- Therefore the lost island which is most excellent must exist

Question 3

What is Descartes ontological argument?

Answer 3

• He believed God is supremely perfect and existence is an absolute perfection, and that it isn’t in his power to concieve of God as not existing
• Existence is part of the concept of God

P1- I have an idea of God (Supremely perfect being)
P2- A supremely perfect being must have all perfections
P3- Existence is a perfection
C- Therefore God exists

Question 4

What does contingent existence mean?

To clarify malcolm’s argument

Answer 4

A being with an existence limited and dependent upon other things for its existence
is caused to come into existence and cease to exist

Question 5

What is necessary existence?

To clarify Malcolm’s argument

Answer 5

Existence that is unlimited, dependent on nothing else for its existence
Cannot be caused to come into existence or cease to exist

Question 6

What is an outline Malcolm’s ontological argument?

Brief outline

Answer 6

Expansion of Anselm’s argument, agrees with anselm that God’s existence cannot be contingent, God is greatest concievable being
Aims to prove God has necessary existence

Question 7

What is Malcolm’s ontological argument?

Explain in terms of Ps and Cs

Answer 7

P1- God cannot come into existence (Nothing can cause God to exist)
P2- So if God does not exist, his existence is impossible
P3- God cannot cease to exist (nothing can cause God to cease to exist)
P4- So if God does exist, then his existence is necessary
C1- Therefore God’s existence is either impossible or necessary
P5- Something’s existence is impossible if it is self contradictory
P6- God’s existence is not self contradictory
P7-Therefore God’s existence is not impossible
C2- Therefore God’s existence is necessary and he necessarily exists

Question 8

What is an outline of Hume’s objection to the Ontological arguments?

Empiricst objection to apriori arguments for God’s existence

Answer 8

Argues that its not possible to use apriori arguments to prove the existence of something
Nothing can be proved unless its opposite has a contradiction

P1-Nothing that can be distinctly concieved has a contradiction
P2- For any being that can be concieved as existence, we can also concieve as being non existent
C- Therefore there isn’t any being who’s non existence entails a contradiction

Question 9

What is an outline of Kants objection on existence not being a predicate

Answer 9

Kant critiqued all ontological arguments, claiming that the assumption of existence being a property of God is false
aims to prove existence isn’t a predicate

P1- A genuine predicate adds to our conception of a subject and helps determine it
P2- Existence does not add to our conception of a subject or help to determine it
C- Existence isn’t a genuine predicate
Conclusion undermine anselm’s and descartes ontological argument, which argue on basis that existence is a property of God
If existence isn’t a property of anything then the ontological arguments contain a false premise

Question 10

What is Anselm’s reply to Guanilo?

Counter-Counter

Answer 10

Argues his counter doesn’t disprove God, the ontological structure only works for God
-there is something incoherent in thinking “the greatest concievable being doesn’t exist” but “greatest concievable island doesn’t exist” is coherent