Ontological Argument

Question 1

Name the scholars who support the Ontological Argument

Answer 1

Anselm, Descartes, N Malcom, Plantinga

Question 2

Name the critics of the Ontological Argument

Answer 2

Gaunilo, Kant, Hume, Russell

Question 3

What is Anselm’s definition of God?

Answer 3

That than which nothing greater can be conceived

Question 4

What is Anselm’s starting point in his first argument?

Answer 4

“The fool says in his heart, there is no God”, a quote from the Psalms

Question 5

What is Anselm trying to do with his ontological argument?

Answer 5

It is a prayer, trying to show how evident it is to him that God exists.

Question 6

What does Anselm suggest is greater?

Answer 6

To exist in the mind and reality, is greater than existing in the mind alone

Question 7

What is Anselm’s example

Answer 7

The painter and the painting

Question 8

What example did we use in class to support Anselm’s idea of mind and reality?

Answer 8

Chocolate

Question 9

What is Anselm’s conclusion?

Answer 9

As God is the greatest conceivable being, and it is greater to exist in mind AND reality, God must exist

Question 10

What does Anselm add in his second argument

Answer 10

The idea of necessary and contingent beings

Question 11

What does necessary mean?

Answer 11

Cannot fail to exist; relies on nothing for its existence

Question 12

What does contingent mean?

Answer 12

Can exist or not exist, relies on something else for its existence

Question 13

What analogy does Gaunilo use to challenge Anselm’s first argument?

Answer 13

The greatest conceivable island

Question 14

What is Gaunilo’s book called?

Answer 14

“On behalf of the Fool”

Question 15

How does Plantinga support Anselm against Gaunilo?

Answer 15

The island has no intrinsic maxim (it can be improved) but God has an intrinsic maxim and is maximally great

Question 16

What is a predicate?

Answer 16

It adds to the description of the subject or object

Question 17

What is the essence or predicates of a triangle?

Answer 17

Three sides and angles adding up to 180 degrees

Question 18

What is the predicate of God according to Descartes?

Answer 18

Existence

Question 19

What does Kant say about existence?

Answer 19

Existence is not a predicate

Question 20

What is Kant’s example?

Answer 20

100 thalers (silver coins) - existence does not add to their value so existence is not a predicate

Question 21

What does Kant say about statements of existence?

Answer 21

All existential statements are synthetic and require verification

Question 22

What is a synthetic statement?

Answer 22

A statement which needs external evidence to verify if it is true/false.

Question 23

What is an analytic statement?

Answer 23

A statement that contains the truth needed to verify it within the statement itself

Question 24

What did Kant say it was logical reject?

Answer 24

Both the concept and its predicates

Question 25

How does Hume argue against the Ontological argument?

Answer 25

You cannot define something into existence

Question 26

What does Russell suggest is needed to establish existence?

Answer 26

An instance of something

Question 27

According to Russell, what syllogism would be true if Kant was right?

Answer 27

Men exist, Santa Claus is a man, Santa Claus exists

Question 28

What is an a priori argument?

Answer 28

An argument based on reason alone (before sense experience)