Ontological argument Flashcards
What types of reasoning does the ontological argument use?
A priori - knowledge is gained by analysis of the concept. No external experience is required (the answer to the idea is found within the idea)
Deductive - the premises entail the conclusion
Analytic - true by definition
Outline Anselm´s ontological argument
P1. God is the greatest possible being
P2. It is greater to exist in the mind AND in reality rather than in the mind alone
P3. God exists in the mind
Con: Therefore the greatest possible being, God, must exist in the mind AND in reality
Anselm´s argument can be seen as being “reductio ad absurdum” - showing that a denial of the conclusion leads to a contradiction
Outline Descartes ontological argument
P1. I have an idea of God, an idea of a perfect being
P2. A perfect being must have all perfections
P3. Existence is a perfection
Con: Therefore, God exists
What are criticisms of Plantinga´s argument?
- It relies heavily on the concept of possibility, which can be subjective and open to interpretation
- It does not provide empirical evidence
What are criticisms of Descarte´s argument?
- Necessary existence might not be a defining characteristic of God
- Existence is not a real predicate but rather a condition for any predicate to be applicable
- It does not address the possibility of imagining or conceiving a perfect being without it necessarily existing
Outline Malcom´s ontological argument
P1. God cannot come into existence
P2. If God does not exist then his existence is logically impossible
P3. If God exists, then his existence is logically necessary
P4. Either God´s existence is logically impossible or logically necessary
P5. God´s existence is not logically impossible (the concept of God is not self-contradictory)
P6. Therefore, God´s existence is logically necessary
Con: God exists
Explain Gaunilo´s perfect island objection for Anselm
P1. We can imagine an island which is the most excellent island.
P2. It is greater to exist in reality rather than merely in the mind.
Con: Therefore, the most excellent island has to exist in reality.
This is known as a “overload” objection since it claims that similar arguments would overload reality with “greatest conceivable” objects.
What is Aquinas objection to Anselm´s argument?
Humans have a limited intellect; they are not capable of understanding the nature of God.
Anselm crosses a mark when he claims to know that God is the greatest possible being.
What is Hume´s objection to God´s existence? (empiricists objection to a priori reasoning)
Nothing is demonstrable, unless the contrary implies a contradiction. God´s non-existence would not lead to a contradiction because nothing would change in today´s world.
What is A J Ayer´s objection to God´s existence?
A priori propositions are only certain because they are tautologies (a statement so framed that it cannot be denied without inconsistency). However, from a set of tautologies, nothing but a further tautology can be validly deduced.
To proven the existence of God through a priori propositions is therefore not valid.
Outline Kant´s criticism of the ontological argument
- It is possible to accept a proposition as true by definition and yet to deny that there is anything in the world to which the subject refers For example, “A unicorn has one horn” is true by definition but this does not imply that a unicorn actually exists.
- Existence cannot be a property of God because existence is not a property at all
Outline Plantinga´s ontological argument
He says that in any possible world, something might be actual and that there are many possible worlds, so the possible must be actual in one of those many possibilities.
What does ontological mean?
Onto = being
logos = study of
