ontological argument. Flashcards
how does anslem attempt to prove the existence of god. ?
he attempts to do this through the definition of god and the nature of god as this includes being necessary meaning that he needs to have existence.
who is anslems argument aimed at?
those that already believe and solidifying their faith in god.
how does anslem define god?
says that god is something that nothing greater can be conceived.
he is the greatest conceivable being.
in the mind and reality.
what does deductive and apori mean?
apori- means that it is based on reason alone.
deductive- this means that the premises make sense but that does not entail the conclusions of the argument.
what does anslem say about the fool?
even the fool understands what god is. this is the idea that when you hear the word you have an idea of what it is. ‘’ even the fool that understands what god is can think that he exists.’’
we have a preconceived idea ‘‘some ideas are born of the mind some shared by all of humanity.
anslem and mind and reality.
he says that things are better in the mind and reality insured of just the mind for example a million dollars in far better in the mind and reality instead of just the mind. the same with a painter and the painting when he thinks of it is in his mind but when he paints it its is in both mind and reality.
who was gualnillo.
he was a contemporary of anslem that responds to the argument.
who does gualnillo reject the argument one behalf of.
rejects the argument on behalf of the fool.
what does gualnillo say about thinking things into reality
he says that with anslems argument that we are able to think things into reality he gives the idea of an island if we are to think of it then it should be in existence. says that we would be able to think things into existence. if the island exists in the mind and not reality then it become reductio absurdum.
how does gualnillo define god?
as a necessary being. this means that god has a necessary existence. existence would be impossible without this things existence meaning that a word where it does not exist in not possible.
what is anslems response to the island argument.
says that an island is a contingent thing this means that it is dependant on other things for its existence and god is not as he is not a contingent being.
what does gualnillo say about the word ‘exists’.
by saying that something exists adds nothing to if as there is already the idea there for example tame lions exist and tame lions (we have to have an idea in our head to understand) we get the idea of both of them as they would exist in out mind so we don’t need to say that they exist. same for god there is a understanding of god as we already have an idea of him in the mind.
how does decartes define god
says that god is prefect. this means that he can not lack existence as perfect beings need existence this means that god has to exist or he would not be prefect by definition.
island- mind.
god- mind.
what does decartes say about predicates and god.
he says that existence is a predicate god. this is a characteristic that defines something or makes it obvious. for example a triangle had to have three sides and the angels have to add up to 180 for it to be a triangle if it did not then it would not be a triangle. god could not be a god without existence.
Immanuel kant.
made the term of the ontological argument and it highlights the jump from mind and reality
existance is not a physical property of god or anything else.
-even if it was a necessary property of god it does not mean that he exists.
‘‘unicorns are horned horses’’ if a unicorn lost its horn them it would not longer be a unicorn.
most damaging critic to the argument.
