Notes covering the H573/01 Philosophy of Religion topic of the Ontological Argument, with explanation and notes covering all the necessary content for the exams.
Important scholars:
o Scholars in support:
Saint Anselm (1033-1109)
Descartes (1596-1650)
Alvin Plantinga (1932-)
Norman Malcolm (1911-1990)
o Scholars in opposition:
Gaunilo (11th Century)
Kant (1721-1804)
Aquinas (1225-1274)
Ontological Argument: the ontological argument is an argument that aims to find out
whether something exists or not. The word ontological originates from the Greek word
“ontos” meaning “being”. The argument was constructed by medieval theologian Saint
Anselm to prove the existence of God.
The Field of Ontology:
o It is an A Priori argument.
o It works on the principle that God’s existence is different to human existence.
o Humans are contingent beings – dependent on other things for their existence.
o God has necessary existence – dependent on nothing for His existence (Creatio ex-
nihilo).
The Proslogion (Latin: Proslogium) is a prayer written by Saint Anselm. In it, he reflects on
the attributes of God to explain how God can possess seemingly contradictory qualities.
Anselm defined God as “that than which nothing greater can be conceived”. According to
him, even the atheist must have a definition of God, if only to dismiss his existence.
o Therefore, God exists in the mind.
But God must exist because God is that which nothing greater can be
conceived.
o To suggest that God is necessary is to suggest that there is no possibility of Him not
existing. Anselm suggests we need to know more than that He exists inside out
minds. Anselm suggests we do know this:
It can be conceived that something that cannot be though not to exist.
God must be such a thing if He is “that than which nothing greater can be
conceived”.
This is because something that can be thought not to exist would be inferior
to that which cannot.
Anselm offered proof that God existed by using deductive reasoning.
In intellectu – in the mind.
In re – in reality.
“Reductio ad absurdum” – it is impossible to think that God doesn’t exist.
The fool has two important features:
o 1. He understands the claim that God exists.
o 2. He does not believe that God exists.
“The fool says in his heart ‘there is no God’” – Book of Psalms 14:1.
“God is better proved through reason rather than experience” – shows that Anselm uses A
Priori arguments.
, Dillon Precious the Ontological Argument
Key Terms:
A Posteriori: Knowledge gained from experience.
A Priori: Knowledge that is not dependent on sensory experience.
Contingent: Dependent on something.
Necessary: Dependent on nothing.
Predicate: A term which refers to the description of a concept (e.g., the pen is blue).
Defining Predicate: A description that is necessary to the concept (e.g., that pen has a
pointed writing end).
Epistemic Distance: Distance in knowledge and understanding.
Logical Fallacy: An argument that is logically incorrect, which undermines the validity of the
argument.
Ontological: To do with the nature of existence.
An argument of two halves:
Proslogion Chapter 2:
o Written in the form of the prayer.
o Believes God has given him this wisdom so that he can share it with others.
o Acknowledges that the fool understands the predicate of the argument, yet he still
disagrees.
o Provides the analogy of the painter (the painter has the idea in his head, but he is
yet to put it into existence.
o Therefore, the fool must admit that there exists something in his understanding that
is greater than can be thought – this is God.
o He explains a difference between things in the understanding and these which are
understood to exist.
I understand what a mermaid is. I have the idea of a mermaid in my
understanding, but it is not my understanding that mermaids exist in this
world.
o Contradiction of the atheist.
Proslogion Chapter 3:
o Chapter 3 concerns the first quality of God that it is not even possible for him to be
thought not to exist.
o That than which we think is greater than can be thought, is necessarily not that
which is greater than can be thought, considering we are thinking it.
o There is only God, and it is illogical for something to be above Him.
o To understand Anselm’s point fully, we need to know Boethius’ four ways of
thinking that he described in his Commentary on Aristotle’s Categories:
Possible to be.
Possible not to be.
Not possible to be.
Not possible not to be.
o You and I, and most things around us, fall into the first two categories. This means
that we / they both could and could not exist. Impossible and contradictory things
fall into the third. God falls into the 4 th.
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