The Ontological Argument Flashcards
What is the Ontological argument?
An argument for the existence of God created by St Anselm in 1077 AD
Known for its focus on the nature of being and existence.
What does ontology refer to?
‘Being’ or ‘existing’ or the nature of being / what exists.
Why has the Ontological argument been controversial?
Many critics, including religious ones, doubt its validity.
What is a priori reasoning?
Reasoning based solely on analysis of concepts, not empirical evidence.
What is a strength of a priori arguments for God’s existence?
They cannot be undermined by new scientific evidence.
What type of argument is the Ontological argument?
Deductive.
What are the premises of St Anselm’s Ontological argument?
P1. God is the greatest conceivable being
P2. It is greater to exist in reality than in the mind alone
P3. God exists in the mind
C1. Therefore, God exists in reality.
What analogy does Anselm use to illustrate his argument?
The analogy of a painter who has an idea before painting it in reality.
What does Anselm point to in Psalm 14:1?
‘The fool says in his heart, ‘there is no God’.’
What is the implication of an atheist’s denial of God according to Anselm?
An atheist at least has an idea of God in their mind.
What does Anselm argue about God’s existence in the mind?
God cannot be an idea that exists in the mind alone; it leads to a contradiction.
What does Anselm conclude about necessary existence?
God is a necessary being whose existence does not depend on anything else.
How does Malcolm interpret Anselm’s term ‘greater’?
Referring to whether a being is limited and depends on something else for existence.
What is the significance of a necessary being?
Its nonexistence is impossible, making it greater than a contingent being.
What is Gaunilo’s objection to Anselm’s argument?
He argues that the greatest conceivable being cannot exist in the mind alone.
What analogy does Gaunilo use to critique Anselm?
The analogy of a perfect lost island.
What is the ‘overload’ objection?
It suggests that reality would be overloaded with greatest/perfect things.
How does Anselm respond to Gaunilo’s critique?
He insists that his argument can only prove the existence of God, not contingent beings.
What does Descartes aim to do with the Ontological argument?
Strengthen it through rationalist epistemology.
What is Descartes’ deductive argument structure?
P1 – I have an idea of a supremely perfect being which contains all perfections
P2 – Existence is a perfection
C3 – God exists.
What is Hume’s stance on a priori demonstrations of existence?
He rejects them and the concept of a ‘necessary being’.
What is Hume’s fork?
The distinction between analytic and synthetic truths.
What does Hume argue about the Ontological argument?
There is an evident absurdity in attempting to demonstrate a matter of fact a priori.
What do analytic truths depend on?
They are true by definition.
What do synthetic truths depend on?
They are true because of the way the world is.
What is a key critique of the Ontological argument according to Gaunilo?
The argument does not prove that God exists necessarily.
What does Anselm’s argument imply about God’s nature?
God’s existence is a necessary existence.
What does a posteriori reasoning involve?
Experience of the factual state of the world.
According to Hume, what can only be known a posteriori?
Synthetic truths.
What is Hume’s stance on demonstrating matters of fact?
There is an evident absurdity in pretending to demonstrate a matter of fact a priori.
What does Hume claim about our ability to conceive of existence?
We can conceive of the non-existence of something we formerly conceived to exist.
What conclusion does Hume reach about necessary existence?
The words ‘necessary existence’ have no meaning.
What does Hume argue about beliefs regarding existence?
Any belief we have about what exists could be imagined as either true or false.
How does Hume differentiate between logical and factual truth?
The term ‘necessary existence’ seems to ignore the disconnect established by Hume’s fork.
What type of propositions are existential propositions?
Always synthetic.
What is Kant’s objection regarding existence as a predicate?
Existence is not a property a thing possesses.
How do Descartes and Anselm view God’s existence?
They argue that denying God’s existence denies what God is.
What does Kant argue about existence as a predicate?
If existence were a predicate, a thing that exists would be conceptually different from that same thing when not existing.
According to Kant, what does existence not describe?
A feature of the thing itself.
What is the implication of Kant’s example of 100 thalers?
The concept ‘100 thalers’ is the same whether in the mind or instantiated in reality.
What does Kant argue about Anselm and Descartes’ claims regarding God?
They seem incorrect when claiming it’s incoherent to think of the greatest being not existing.
What is Malcolm’s version of the ontological argument?
God is an unlimited being whose existence is either necessary or impossible.
What are the premises of Malcolm’s ontological argument?
- P1: God either exists or does not exist.
- P2: If God exists, God’s existence is necessary.
- P3: If God does not exist, God’s existence is impossible.
- P4: The concept of God is not self-contradictory.
What does Malcolm conclude about God’s existence?
Therefore, God exists necessarily.
What is Kant’s objection to necessity implying existence?
It only shows that if God exists, then God exists necessarily.
What does Malcolm argue against Kant’s critique?
The proposition ‘God is a necessary being’ is not equivalent to ‘If God exists, then He necessarily exists.’
What is the significance of the ontological argument according to Malcolm?
It shows that God is a being characterized by the impossibility of non-existence.
What is Hartshorne’s stance on the ontological argument?
If one accepts the logical coherence of a being which contains the impossibility of non-existence, one must accept that it necessarily exists.
What is Hick’s position regarding the ontological argument?
He argues that God could be ontologically necessary without being logically necessary.
What philosophical debates challenge the coherence of God?
- The paradox of the stone.
- The Euthyphro dilemma.
- The incompatibility of free will and omniscience.
- The logical problem of evil.
What do modern defenders of the ontological argument agree on?
The argument can at most show that if God is logically possible, then God necessarily exists.
What is the conclusion of Malcolm’s argument regarding God’s existence?
God is either logically impossible or logically necessary.
What does the ontological argument show regarding God’s existence?
If God is logically possible, then God necessarily exists
This argument hinges on the concept of logical possibility.
What does Malcolm’s version of the ontological argument incorporate?
The dependence of God’s logical possibility as a premise
This version builds upon traditional arguments by emphasizing logical structure.
What is Plantinga’s view on the ontological argument?
It can make religious belief rational but cannot prove God’s existence
Plantinga acknowledges limitations in proving existence while supporting rational belief.
What does Plantinga state about accepting the central premise of the ontological argument?
It is rational to accept the central premise, thus rational to accept the conclusion
This indicates a level of philosophical acceptance without definitive proof.
What does Plantinga admit about the belief in God’s existence?
It is rational to believe that God’s existence is logically impossible
This presents a dual rationality in belief systems concerning God.
According to Plantinga, what can be concluded if a being whose non-existence is impossible could exist?
Then it must exist
This is a key component of the ontological argument’s logic.
What was Anselm’s initial insight regarding God’s existence?
If God is even conceivable, then God must exist
This foundational idea forms the basis of the ontological argument.
Complete the statement: ‘If a being a greater than which cannot be conceived, can even be conceived, it must ______.’
[exist]
This quote encapsulates Anselm’s argument and its implications.
