Ontological Argument - Key Terms

Question 1

Analytic

Answer 1

Statements that are true by meaning of the words used.
e.g. ‘A bicycle has 2 wheels’ is analytical because by definition a bicycle is a 2 wheeled vehicle.
True by definition.

Question 2

A posteriori

Answer 2

Arguments which depend on sense experience (after sense experience).
e.g. ‘Oak trees grow from acorns’ can only be known by sense experience and not be logic.

Question 3

A priori

Answer 3

An argument which relies on logical deduction and not on sense experience.
Prior to / before sense experience.

Question 4

Contingent

Answer 4

Contingent truth = a proposition that happens to be true but might have been otherwise.
Contingent thing = doesn’t exist necessarily and so could have failed to exist.

Question 5

Deductive

Answer 5

An argument where if the premises are true, then the conclusion must be true.

Question 6

Inductive

Answer 6

An argument which is probabilistic because the truth of its conclusions cannot be guaranteed by the truth of its premises.

Question 7

Necessary

Answer 7

Necessary truth = a proposition that could not possibly be false.
Necessary thing = something that could not possibly have failed to exist.

Question 8

Predicate

Answer 8

Gives us information about the subject.

Question 9

Subject

Answer 9

Refers to who or what the sentence is about.

Question 10

Synthetic

Answer 10

Statements whose truth / falsity are determined by sense experience.