Ontological Argument

Ontological Argument

1. St Anselm

   • Argued the existence of God apriori
     • Looking at the attributes of God
   • "God is the greatest conceivable being"
     • Analytically, if God were by definition the greatest possible being, he would exist
   • The fool has said in his heart that there is no God
     • What he understands is in his understanding, though he understands it not to exist
     • Psalm 14
   • 1. God is the greatest being
     • 2. It is greater to exist in reality than in the mind
       • 3. God could not be the greatest possible being in the mind
         • 4. God must also exist in reality

2. ARGUMENTS AGAINST

   • Gaunilo
     • By definition, anything perfect must exist, for it is more perfect to exist in reality than in the mind
       • Gaunilo's perfect island
       • A 'reductio ad absurdum''
     • Anselm objects as a 'perfect island' exists in space/time
       • God doesn't
     • Malcolm
       • An Island is contingent and you can always find a way to make it better
   • Hume
     • Falsely assumes that existence is a necessary trait. There is no such thing as necessary existence
     • "However much our concepts of an object may contain, we must go outside of it to determine whether or not it exists. We cannot define something into existence even if it has all the perfections we imagine."
   • Kant
     • Existence is not a predicate
       • Comparison of an imaginary £100 and real money. 'Existence' does not give new understanding to the concept
   • Brian Davies
     • You can describe something without it being insubstanciated
   • Douglas Gaskin
     • It's more admirable to create the world without existing
       • Creation in comparison to your greatest handicap
   • Van Iwagen
     • 'Knowno'
   • Bertrand Russell
     • Descriptions have no meaning unless they are in relation to the subject
     • God's perfection only exists if first the subject God exists, otherwise it is only rendered 'perfect in Anselm's mind'

3. Plantinga

   • 1. We accept that there is a possible world in which an omnipotent being exists
     • 2. A being with Maximum excellence has possible necessary existence
       • 3. Therefore a being with maximum excellence has necessary existence

4. Malcolm

   • 1. If God doesn't exist, his existence is logically impossible
     • 2. If God does exist, his existence is logically necessary
       • 3. If we concieve of God, this means he is not logically impossible
         • Therefore God is logically necessary

5. Sankara

   • 8th Century Indian Philosopher
   • If something is logically impossible, then we cannot conceive of it

6. Decartes

   • The concept of perfection cannot arise from an imperfect being, therefore it came from a perfect being: God
   • God needs existence like a triangle needs 180 sides. You know it apriori.