Ontological argument

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  • Created by: vezting
  • Created on: 08-01-16 11:45
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  • Ontological argument
    • Anselm
      • he developed the Ontological argument in 1078
        • argument has 3 stages: 1)God is 'nothing greater can be conceived' 2) the non-existence of God is logically impossible 3) 'the fool' believes this cannot be true
      • he argued
        • 1- God is greater than any being, he is 'supremely perfect'
        • 2- if such a being possesses all perfections it must exist because existence is perfection
        • 3- therefore does not simply exist in mind but in reality
        • 4-what exists in reality is greater than what exists in mind
        • 5- God is a necessary being
        • 6- therefore his existence is by definition
      • strengths- deductive, some terms accepted by athiests also EG nothing greater can be conceived, atheist must understand God to reject him
      • weaknesses- not coherent-n how can God be omniscient? cannot be assumed this is only logical way to prove God,
      • Kant
        • opposed the view of Anselm
        • Existence is not associated with the definition of something as it did not add to our understanding
        • we must establish the existence before we can describe what it is like
        • existence is not  a predicate
        • " God is an object of pure thought"
    • key concepts
      • attempts to prove existence of God by reason alone
      • is a-priori as does not rely on empirical evidence
      • produces a conclusion which is self-evidently true or logically necessary
      • its deductive- the argument contains conclusion that it reaches
      • its analytic- its true by definition alone
    • Descartes
      • FOR ontological argument
      • 1)I exist 2)I can imagine perfect being 3)as im imperferct, I cant think of perfect beings 4) therefore the thought must have come from the perfect being itself 5) therefore a perfect being exists
      • 1) God is supremely perfect 2) has all perfections 3)existence is perfection 4)if God is supreme then he must exist 4) its illogical for him not to exist
    • Aquinas
      • Anselm has made 'transitional error' from definition to existence
      • he has made assumption about definition that is not shared by all belivers
      • God's existence needs to be proved by a posteriori - truth from experience and knowlendge
    • Gaunilo
      • if ontological argument applied to things other than God there is invalid conclusions
      • 1) I can conceive and island greater than no island can be thought 2) such an island is perfect 3) existence is a perfection 4) therefore island must exist
      • however Anselm argued back that Ontological is meant for necessary beings not contingent ones
    • Gasking
      • the fallacy
        • creation is most supreme achievement, the greatest limitation of the creator would be to not exist, therefore a world created by non-existent creator would be greater
        • therefore an existing God isnot the greatest conceivable being, as a greater one would not exist, God does therefore not exist
    • Platinga
      • furthered the Ontological argument
        • 1-we are able to imagine any number of alternative worlds in which things are different
        • 2-if Gods existence is necessary he must exist in all of them and have same characteristcs
        • 3-this is because God is maximally great and excellent
        • 4- such a being would be omnipotent, omniscient and omnibenevolent in all worlds

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