An Argument On An Ontological Argument Essay - 715 Words

NO THANKSGET THE APP Philosophy Essay #2 Beverly Perez Dr. Jacob Tuttle PHIL 1880-21 // MWF3-4PM 04 December 2015 An ontological argument tries to show that God exists by appealing only to truths of reasons, which can be known apart from observation. This is what Anselm attempts to do. Anselm first starts by establishing that God is the greatest possible being that can be imagined, acknowledging that God exists in the mind. Based on this his argument can be stated with the following premises: It is a conceptual truth that God is the greatest possible being that can be imagined. (God exists as an idea in the mind.) A being that exists as an idea in the mind and in reality is, greater than a being that exists only as an idea in the mind. Thus, if God exists only as an idea in the mind, then we can imagine something greater, but we cannot imagine something that is greater than God. Therefore, God exists. Premise number one is Anselm’s conception of God. Premise number two is a logical truth, again according to Anselm. Finally, premise number three simply follows from the previous two premises. In short, Anselm’s thinking behind his argument is â€Å"because a supreme being exists in the understanding, it must exist in reality.† He defends his argument by comparing a non-existent â€Å"something† with an existent â€Å"something†. An existent â€Å"something†, says Anselm, is greater than a non-existent â€Å"something†. If God were non-existent, then we could imagine a God greater than he, namely anShow MoreRelatedOntological Arguments : The Ontological Argument1453 Words   |  6 PagesThe nature of this question is pointing towards ontological arguments, these arguments claim that understanding God’s definition to be true can prove His existence. The proof used is a priori and this means that the propositions do no not requir e sense experience to be understood as true. The name ontological is taken from two Greek words, ‘ontos’ (being) and ‘logos’ (study of) which shows that the argument is concerned with the nature of God, and it is from His nature that His existence is arguedRead MoreThe Argument On The Ontological Argument1061 Words   |  5 PagesThe Ontological Argument was proposed by a man named St. Anselm in which he used this argument to prove this existence of God by utilizing an a priori reasoning. The argument does not provide any kind of physical evidence, but instead the argument is made through thoughts and logic. The ontological argument takes the idea of God to show that God must exist in understanding according to Anselm. In other words, Anselm suggests that the greatest conceivable being must exist because that being mustRead MoreOntological Argument999 Words   |  4 PagesOntological Argument One of the most fascinating arguments for the existence of an all-perfect God is the ontological argument. Ontological arguments are arguments to prove the existence of God based on pure reason alone. They attempt to show that we can deduce God’s existence from, so to speak, the very definition of God. St. Anselm of Canterbury proposed the first and most well known ontological argument in 1078 in his Proslogion, but it was actually Immanuel Kant, an 18th century German philosopherRead MoreAnselm s Argument On The Ontological Argument1614 Words   |  7 Pagesexists, otherwise known as the ontological argument. Anselm believes that â€Å"there is no doubt that something than which a greater cannot be thought exists both in the understanding and in reality (Anselm, Proslogion, 7).† In other words, we cannot imagine something that is able to be greater than God; it would be a contradiction to think being greater than the greatest possible being that can be thought of. A n umber of philosophers do not agree with Anselm’s argument, such as Gaunilo, St. Thomas AquinasRead MoreAssess the Ontological Argument818 Words   |  4 Pages08 Assess whether the ontological argument demonstrates the existence of God. (30 marks) The ontological argument was first formulated by St. Anselm in the 11th century. It argues the existence of God from a deductive and a priori stance. God is a being than which none greater can be conceived. This is the response given by St Anselm to the fool in the psalm who believed there was no God. St Anselm the Archbishop of Canterbury and of the Benedictine Order explained that for God to exist in theRead More The Ontological Argument Essay680 Words   |  3 PagesThe Ontological Argument In Anselms ontological argument he is trying to prove the existence of God, his argument is an argument purely based on the mind and does not require the moral agent to venture into the real of the senses. Ontology is to do with being, or what something is. Anselms ontological argument concerns existence and whether it is an attribute of God in the same way omnipotence, omniscience and benevolence are believed to be. The argument is an a prioriRead More Ontological Argument Essay2922 Words   |  12 Pagesthe existence of God. These theories are the ontological argument, the cosmological argument, and the teleological argument. St. Anselm of eleventh century, and Descartes of seventeenth century, have used the ontological argument for proving the existence of God. The God, for them, is supreme, quot;needing nothing outside himself, but needful for the being and well-being of all things.quot; (Pg. 305). St Anselm’s account of the ontological argument for the existence of God deals with the ‘existenceRead MoreThe Ontological Argument By Anselm1524 Words   |  7 Pages I will begin my paper by discussing the two major versions of the ontological argument by Anselm presented in the proslogion. The first being â€Å"Possible and actual existence†, and the second being â€Å"Contingent or Necessary†. One should start off with the first summarized in the standard form as follows: #1 It is a conceptual truth that God is a being than which none greater can be imagined. #2 God exists as an idea in the mind. #3 A being that exists as an idea in the mind and in reality is, otherRead MoreExploring the Ontological Argument1746 Words   |  7 PagesExploring the Ontological Argument For nearly a thousand years, the ontological argument has captured the attention of philosophers. The ontological argument was revolutionary in its sequence from thought to reality. It was an argument that did not require any corresponding experiment in reality; it functioned without the necessity of empirical data. Despite flaws and problems found in some ontological arguments and the objections raised to those arguments, ontological arguments still provide aRead MoreAdvantages Of The Ontological Argument1261 Words   |  6 PagesThe Ontological Argument attempts provide absolute proof that God exists so that His existence cannot be questioned otherwise. It is a deductive argument that argues de dicto – the premises involving the definition of God and existence. It is based on a priori knowledge that comes to an analytic statement that is necessarily valid. If the premises of the argument are true, then the conclusion is self-evident and and the argument provides absolute p roof for the existence of God. This is in direct