Ontological Argument

Question 1

Type of argument

Answer 1

it is an apriori argument- an argument based in logical deduction and is prior to sense experience.

Question 2

Who is Anselm

Answer 2

-11th century monk, theologian and archbishop
-his argument is written as a prayer.
-Anselm is a committed theist whose argument is anchored in the theistic language game

“I believe in order to understand”

Question 3

Deductive type of argument

Answer 3

Deductive arguments intend to guarantee the truth of the conclusion. If the premises of the argument are true, then the conclusion must be true

Question 4

What is the ontological argument based on

Answer 4

The argument is based on the claim that Gods existence can be deduced from his definition-once God is correctly defined, there can be no doubt that he exists

Question 5

Three claims the ontological argument makes

Answer 5

-the proposition God exists is a priori/deductive- it can be known to be true without reference to sense experience, just by thinking about Gods nature

-in the proposition ‘God exists’, the subject ‘God’ contains the predicate ‘exists’… so God must exist

-Gods existence is necessary truth, not a contingent one

Question 6

Psalm 14 quote

Answer 6

The fool says in his heart,”there is no God”

Question 7

Anselms definition of God

Answer 7

“God is a being than which nothing greater can be conceived”

Question 8

Basica of his argument

Answer 8

-God is the greatest conceivable being

-it is greater to exist in reality than to exist only in the mind

-therefore, as the greatest conceivable being, God must exist in reality

Question 9

Anselms full ontological argument

Answer 9

-God is the greatest conceivable being

-this is a definition which even a fool understands in his mind, even though he does not understand it to exist in reality

• there is a difference between having an idea in the mind and knowing that this idea exists in reality

-e.g a painter has an idea of what he wants to paint, but when he has painted it, that idea now exists both in his mind and reality

-it is greater to exist both in the mind and in reality than exist only in the mind

• if God existed only in the mind, i could think of something greater namely a God who existed in reality also

Therefore in order to be the greatest conceivable being, God must exist both in the mind and in reality