ontological arguments EVALUATION

Question 1

anselms ontological argument (deductive and a priori)

Answer 1

GIST: god is the greatest being I can think of. If this being didn’t exist, it wouldn’t be the greatest being. So God, the greatest being I can think of, must exist.

P1: God is a being than which none greater can be conceived (abbreviated to 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 (i.e. a BNGC that exists in reality as well).
P4: But we cannot conceive of something greater than the BNGC (there cannot be something greater than the greatest) (this would be a contradiction)
C2: Therefore, the BNGC (in order to be the BNGC ) must exist in reality as well as in the mind.
C3: Therefore, God exists.

Question 2

what is the objection to anselms ontological argument

Answer 2

• gaunilos perfect island objection

Question 3

what is gaunilos perfect island objection

Answer 3

• the argument is invalid because parallel arguments lead to absurd conclusions
• gaunilos proposes that instead of ‘that than which a greater cannot be thought’ we consider:
• “that island than which a greater cannot be thought”
  following anselms reasoning: the greatest conceivable island exists in our understanding: this would mean, following anselms reasoning, that island mist exist in reality aswell: for if it did not, we could imagine a greater island, one that existed in reality.
  the greatest conceivable island would not be the greatest conceivable island after all.
• this therefore means that it is absurd to suppose that the greatest conceivable island exists in reality.
• gaungillo concludes that anselms reasoning is fallacious

Question 4

difference between descartes ontological argument and anselms ontological argument

Answer 4

descartes ontological argument:
- gods essence is perfection, it is the concept of a supremely perfect being
- a being than which nothing greater can be conceived would have to exist

anselms ontological argument:
- god is the being than which nothing greater can be conceived
- existence is part of the essence of god