Ontological Argument

Question 1

Ontological introduction- context

Answer 1

• Ontology is the branch of philosophy which explores the nature of being/existence.
• Ontological arguments aim to prove the existence of God based on the idea that ‘existence’ is part of the definition of God and can be predicated of God.
• This means that ‘God exists’ is an a priori statement, known to be true deductively (with certainty) without reference to empiricism.
• It uses proof by contradiction to argue that if one understands the definition of God, it would be logically contradictory to conclude that God does not exist.

Question 2

Ontological introduction- brains

Answer 2

• The first ontological argument was proposed by St Anselm of Canterbury in the 11th century and was written in the form of a prayer in his book, ‘Proslogion’.
• It relies on acceptance of his definition of God- ‘God is that than which nothing greater can be conceived.’ and his two formulations: that it is greater to exist in the mind and reality, and necessarily rather than contingently.
• His reasoning was famously challenged by fellow Christian monk and contemporary ‘Gaunilo’ in ‘On Behalf of the Fool’.
• Other scholars have presented ontological arguments, including Descartes in the 17th century, arguing that God is a ‘supremely perfect’ being and that an essential characteristic (predicate) of a perfect being is existence.
• This was famously challenged by Kant, who argued that ‘existence is not a predicate’. This was then built upon by Bertrand Russell.