ontological argument ppt edited

8/2/2019 Ontological Argument Ppt edited

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St. Anselm was born in Aosta in Italy and was theArchbishop of Canterbury. His most famous works includehisMonologion and Prosologion. St. Anselm is most famousfor his Ontological argument for Gods existence.


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THE ONTOLOGICAL ARGUMENT

y St. Anselms Ontological argument is an attempt toestablish Gods existence without the need forobservations of the world around us. Anselm believesthat the conclusion that God exists can be found using

only a priori and necessary premises.


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THE ONTOLOGICAL ATGUMENTy

St. Anselms argument goes as follows:

y 1. Now we believe that you (God) are somethingthan which nothing greater can be thought

y No. 1 is Anselms claim that there is no being greaterthan God in our understanding.

y 2. And surely that than-which-nothing-greater-cannot-be-thought cannot exist in the mindalone. For if it exists in the solely in the mindeven, it can be though to exist in reality also,

which is greater.y No. 2 this is Anselms claim that since to exist in both

the understanding and reality is greater than to exist inthe understanding alone.


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THE ONTOLOGICAL ARGUMENTy If God only existed in the understanding, a greater

being could be thought of, one the exists in theunderstanding as well as in reality.

y 3. Given that God is a being which nothing greater canbe conceived (1) and a being which exists in reality andthe understanding is greater than a being which existsin the understanding alone (2), it should follow that

God exists both in reality and in our understanding.


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THE ONTOLOGICAL ARGUMENT

y 1. God is a being which nothing greater can beconceived

y 2. God either exists in the understanding or both theunderstanding and reality

y 3. Given 1, it follows that God cannot merely exist inthe understanding alone

y 4. Since God cannot exist in the understanding alone,it must follow that he exists both in the understandingand in reality


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y 5. THEREFORE GOD EXISTS I

NREALITY.


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Gaunilos Objectiony Gaunilo parodied Anselms Ontological argument

using his example of a Perfect island.

y When someone tells me that there is suchan island, Ieasily understand what is being said, for there is nothingdifficult here. Supposehowever, as a consequence of this, hethen goes on to say: you cannot doubt that this island, moreexcellent than all lands, actually exists somewhere in reality,because it undoubtedly stands in relation to yourunderstanding. Since it is moreexcellent, not simply tostand in relation to the understanding, but to be in reality aswell, therefore this island must necessarily be in reality.


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GAUNILOS OBJECTIONy Gaunilo here is using the same reasoning as Anselm to

establish that there is a Perfect Island, which is absurd

since no actual island exists in reality.

y Since we are able to conceive a perfect island with allthese attributes in our mind, does that not mean that

there is indeed a perfect island in both ourunderstanding and in reality?


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ANSELMS REPLY TO GAUNILOyAnselm says that the case of the Perfect Island differs

from his Ontological argument because God is fargreater than a perfect island and the two areincomparable. God is a necessary being which has

maximal properties while the island is a contingenttemporal being.

y still, it seems fair for Anselm to respond that what is

central to theargument is that weare conceiving of thegreatest being simpliciter (simply or in and of itself)and not merely the greatest being of some particular

y species or kind.(History of Philosophy. P.84)


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THE END.y REFERENCES:

yP. HURELYHISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY. 1993


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ontological argument ppt edited

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