Ontological Argument Flashcards
What is the ontological argument based on?
Once you have defined God, no doubt remains about his existence - God exists by definition.
What does ‘ontos’ mean?
Being, existence
Is the ontological argument a priori or a posteriori?
A priori - analyses propositions about God to understand what God means without empirical evidence.
List Gods characteristics. Because God has all these attributes, he is…
Omniscient
Omnipotent
Omnibenevolent
Eternal
Everlasting
Immanent
Transcendent
Creator
Incorporeal
= God is perfect!!
Explain Anselm’s first proof
P1 God is a being that which nothing greater can be conceived (TWNGCBC)
P2 Both believers and non-believers understand this definition
IC Therefore, God exists at least in intellectu (our minds)
P3 Things can exist in intellectu alone or in intellectu and in re (reality)
P4 It is greater to exist in both re and intellectu than just in intellectu
IC God would be greater if He existed both in re and intellectu
P5 If God did not exist in re then He would not be TWNGCBC
C Therefore, God must exist in re as well as in intellectu
Explain Gaunilo’s island as a criticism for Anselm’s first proof and Anselm’s answer.
P1 We can imagine an island which is the greatest conceivable island
P2 It is greater for the island to exist in re than merely in intellectu
C Therefore, the greatest conceivable island must exist in re
= reductio ad absurdum…you can’t just imagine an island into existence!
Anselm says God is not like an island, God is a necessary being and an island is not! (…Anselm’s second proof)
Explain Anselm’s second proof
P1 God is the greatest possible being
P2 It is greater to be a necessary being than a contingent being
P3 If God was a contingent being, and we can imagine He could not exist, then a greater being could be imagined that cannot be conceived not to exist
P4 This being would be greater than God…illogical as God is the greatest possible being
C Therefore, God is a necessary being
What is a necessary being?
A being that possesses necessary existence
Explain Descartes argument
P1 God is a supremely perfect being
P2 A supremely perfect being contains all the perfections
P3 Existence is a supreme perfection
C Therefore, God, as a supremely perfect being, exists
How does Descartes use a triangle in his argument + keyword?
It is impossible to imagine God as not existing in the same way that it is impossible to imagine a triangle without angles adding up to 180 degrees…existence is a predicate of God.
