Ontological argument - Descartes Flashcards
How did Descartes define God?
As a supremely perfect being
What did Descartes argue about existence? How does this apply to God?
Believed that existence is a part of perfection. So if God is perfect, then God must exist. Alternatively, if God does not exist, then God is not perfect.
What did Descartes argue saying God is perfect and does not exist is like?
Saying that a triangle does not have three sides. God is perfect and so must exist is an analytic statement.
What did Kant argue about existence?
Existence is not a predicate of perfection. Existence does not tell us anything more about an object and therefore, it is not a predicate e.g. if we say that a perfect house is made of stone, has windows, a door etc. we learn about the house. If we then say that this house exists, this tells us nothing more about the qualities of the house
What does Kant say about the term “necessary”?
Kant argued that you can not apply the term “necessary” to a being. It can only be applied to prepositions or analytical statements e.g. All unmarried men are bachelors, John is an unmarried man - conclusion - John is a Bachelor is necessary
What does Kant say about what is logically true?
Just because something is logically true, it does not make it true in reality e.g. all Queens are female monarchs. Elizabeth is a queen, therefore Elizabeth is a female monarch. This is logically true but to know if Elizabeth exists in reality, we would have to search through empirical evidence. This is the same for God.
What does Frege argue?
Agrees with Kant that existence is not a property or predicate of perfection. He argues that existence is not a property at all.
What example does Frege give?
The King’s carriage is drawn by four horses.
The King’s carriage is drawn by thoroughbred horses.
How does Frege develop this example?
Argues that “thoroughbred” tells us something about the individual horses and so is a property. However, four does not tell us anything about an individual horse. Numbers will only tell us something about an idea or concept, not of an object.
How does Frege relate this example to existence?
Goes on to argue that the number 0 is the equivalent to non existence and one is the equivalent to existence. Therefore, existence is like numbers and as numbers aren’t properties, neither is existence.
What does Malcom argue?
Perhaps existence in the ordinary, contingent kind might not be a predicate, but that necessary existence, which only applies to God, is different
What logical fallacy does Kant say the Ontological argument faces?
A possible logical fallacy in the ontological argument might be one of ‘category error’
What does Hume say about the Ontological argument?
It is not possible to move from the de dicto necessity of a proposition to the de re necessity of God. In other words, one cannot move from the idea of God to the reality of God
What does Hume say about ‘necessary’?
Challenged the very idea of anything being ‘necessary’, maintaining that the only things that are necessary are linguistic statement where truth represents convention.
What example did Russell give?
Think of the statement - ‘The present King of France is bald.’ This statement is not true. However, does it mean, therefore, that the statement is a true statement? No; because there is no such thing as the present King of France.
