Ontological arguments

Question 1

anselms ontological argument

Answer 1

P1: God is a being than which none greater can be conceived (BNGC)
P2: the BNGC exists as a coherent idea in the mind
P3: a being that exists as an idea in the mind and in reality is greater than a being that exists only as an idea in the mind
C1: therefore, if the BNGC existed only as an idea in the mind, then we could conceive of something that is greater than the BNGC
P4: but we cannot conceive of something greater than the BNGC (there cannot be something greater than the greatest as there would be a contradiction
C2: therefore, the BNGC must exist in reality as well as in the mind
C3: therefore, god exist

Question 2

ontological argument

Answer 2

an argument for the existence of god which is based only on a priori premises including alleged a priori truths about the nature/essence of god

Question 3

Descartes ontological argument

Answer 3

P1: I have an idea of god as a supremely perfect being
P2: a supremely perfect being has all perfections
P3: existence is a perfection
C1: therefore, god must exist

Question 4

what type of arguments are all of the ontological arguments

Answer 4

• deductive
• a priori

Question 5

difference between descartes ontological argument and anselms ontological argument

Answer 5

Anselms:
- god is the being than which nothing greater can be conceived
- a being than which nothing greater can be conceived would have to exist

Descartes:
- Gods essence is perfection: it is the concept of a supremely perfect being
- existence is part of the essence of god

Question 6

Malcolms ontological argument

Answer 6

P1: God is defined as an unlimited being (a being that does not depend for its existence on anything else)
P2: either god exists or does not exist
P3: if god does not actually exist then gods existence would be logically impossible because god cannot possible come into existence this is because this would then have to have been caused by something
P4: if god does exist then gods existence must be necessary because god cannot possible come into or go out of existence, this is because this would then have to have been caused by something to occur
C1: therefore, gods existence is either impossible or necessary
P4: If God’s existence is impossible then the concept must be self-contradictory / incoherent.
P5: The concept of a necessary being (God) is not self-contradictory (it is coherent).
C2: Therefore God’s existence is not impossible.
C3: Therefore, God’s existence is necessary (God must exist).

Question 7

difference between the 3 ontological arguments:

Answer 7

Anselm
1. based on what we are able to conceive of, so the concept of god is one that we construct by a deliberate act of thinking
2. god is the being than which nothing greater can be conceived
3. thinks that existence is a perfection

descartes
1. based on the essence of a concept of god that we discover and is given to us innately within our mind
2. gods essence is a perfection: it is the concept of a supremely perfect being
3. thinks that existence is a perfection

Malcolm:
1. based on the kind of existence god would have to have
2. god is defined/understood as an unlimited being
3. thinks that necessary existence is a perfection