St Anselm's Prosologian 1, 2 Flashcards
What is st Anselm’s argument?
Set out in his books Proslogian; proslogian 1,2&3. Rely on a specific definition of god “that than which nothing greater can be conceived”. Even atheists and everyone understand God to be the pinnacle of everything, nothings Greater than god
What is Anselm’s quote in Psalm 53?
‘The fool says in his heart, there is no god’. Anselm found is difficult to understand how anyone could have the concept of god without realising that he exists.
What is the whole purpose of the argument?
You can’t argue against something existing without first understanding what it is. You can only argue against the existence of god with knowing what it is.
What is anselms 1st form of the argument?
1)God is that than which nothing greater can be conceived
2)A real, existent being would be greater than an imaginary, illusory being.
3) God is surpassed by an actual, existent God
4) A god who only exists in our heads would be inferior to. REAL GOD
Priori- dependent on definition
Logically necessary.
What is Anselm’s second form?
1)God is that than which nothing greater can be conceived
2) Contingent beings are inferior to necessary beings
3) Because God is … he must have necessary existence
4) God exists necessarily
The fool understand God exists because he knows what it is.
Makes no sensee of talking about `God who doesn’tt exist because then he wouldn
God is necessary
What does Anselm mean In his second form of his argument?
God must exist, a necessary being cannot fail to exist. only contigent beings do that. Necessary existence is the whole part of the definition of God. Makes no sense to talk about a God who doesn’t exist, then he wouldn’t be God.
What does Anselm say in Psalm:14:1
“the fool said in his heart, “there is no god” Anselm said the fool understands what God is and understands God exists but doesn’t believe he exists
What does reductio absurdum mean?
Reduce to absurdity
Explain more what Anselm’s second form of his argument is suggesting?
Gods existent being necessary, he has to exist. He reverts back to his first argument, It would be ssuggested to be thought of as not existing would be inferior to thinking of something which must always exist
What was Douglas gasking’s criticism?
Gasking suggested a being who doesn’t exist is much better than an existent being. A non-existent creator is greater than one which exists, so God does not exist.
Challenges from Gaunillo?
He believed Anselm’s aergument was not logical`
`perfect Island- just because it exists in our mind doesn’t mean it exists In reality by imagining
How did Anselm repsond to Gunilo?
Proposed that his argument was good but could’t would with God as an island is a continent being and it can only work with God as he has necessary existence
How did Aquinas challenge?
It’s impossible for human to define God, according to aquinas he thinks inseams overstepping the mark for saying God is “nothing which…”. If we can’t really grasp the idea of who God is then we cant follow from this idea.
What did Alvin plantinga say about god?
Islands have no intrinsic maximum, we can always go on adding to the island- 1 morepakms tree to improv e it but gods definition is that he is maximally perfect and cut be improved
Wat is kants objection?
existence is not a predicate; for triangle if he says angles are part of the triangle if he rejects the triangle, similar with god doesn’t need to accept existence
to say coins exists adds nothing to definition
