Ontological argument Flashcards
A priori
Knowledge before experience
A posteriori
Knowledge after experience
Inductive
If the premise is right the conclusion is probable
Deductive
If the premise is right the conclusion is right
Predicate
An intrinsic property or quality of something .. existence is a predicate of God
Ontological argument
A deductive argument for the existence of God based on a priori knowledge the conclusion is implied directly
essense of the ontological argument
Something is greater if it exists than if it doesn’t . If God is the greatest thing imaginable .. He must exist
Anslem
Archbishop of Canterbury , tried to explore as a Christian what faith in God was all about he started by defining God as “ that which nothing greater can be thought”
He sets this argument in his book Proslogoin
First form of the OA
God is that which nothing greater can be thought. A real existent being would be greater than an imaginary , illusionary being . Therefore the concept of God is surpassed by an actual existent God
Second form of OA
Contingent beings are inferior to beings with necessary existence , bcs God is unsurpassable in every way he must have necessary existence .. therefore God exists necessarily. God must exist because a necessary being cannot fail to exist only contingent being do that . Necessary existence in Anselm’s view is a part of the definition of God
Analytic proposition
True by definition there is nothing we need to do to test it , it can be arrived at through deduction
For Anselm God exists in a priori analytic statement
Anselm on non-believers/fools
Anselm would say that even the fool would agree with his definition of God (that which nothing greater can be conceived ) so the fool would have the concept of God in mind but the fool does not believe He exists .
For Anselm there is a universal understanding of God regardless of belief in His existence and as existence in reality is better than imagination God exists
Judgement :
is existence in reality always better ?
Things like the holocaust would be much better in imagination
Gaunilo background
Monk and contemporary of Anselm who rejected Anselm’s idea in his works ‘ on behalf of the fool ‘
The Perfect Island
We can think of a perfect island e.g .. lots of shade , clear blue water , hot but not excruciatingly hot but that does not mean this island exists. We cannot wish things into existence in the case of Anselm he can’t wish God into existence simply because he thinks of God
Anselm’s response
God is necessary whilst islands are contingent so are incomparable. There isn’t anything we can think about that is greater than God . The OA only works when applied to God because God exists in a different way form everything else
Alvin Plantiga
No matter how great an island is there could be a greater one , qualities of a greatness for an island do not have a maximum so the idea of the greatest possible island is an incoherent idea . God is maximally great in Anselm’s mind so the OA works
Aquinas / OA is not useful
We do not share an understating Of what God is furthermore for Aquinas humans are not in a position to understand God’s nature it needs to demonstrated by things known to us e.g the world ( TO + CO)
Descartes OA
Wanted to establish and argument based on certainty.. God exists to guarantee what can be know . God existence is as necessary as a triangle has to have three sides
Triangles and God
In the same way a triangle needs three sides the essence of God requires that He exists; necessary existence can not be separated from the concept of a supremely perfect being
Mountains and Valleys , Descartes
When there is a mountain there is a valley if God is the mountain his existence must be the valley
God as supremely perfect , Descartes
Because God is supremely perfect he possesses all perfections this includes existence .. existence is a predicate of a perfect being therefore God exists
Kants objections
Existence is not a quality that can be predicated to something . To say something exists does not add to our understanding of that thing .. existence does not change the concept of God
100 Thalers
100 imagined thalers and real thalers are no different they are both 100 thalers no more or no less.
existence is not a predicate
Kants criticism of Anselm’s concept of necessary existence
It may be necessary for existence to be an Intrinsic part of the concept of a supremely prefect being but it’s not necessary for that the supremely perfect being to exist in reality .
