philosophy ontological arguements

Ontological arguments

Understanding of existence and being using d fictive reasoning

Anselm’s proslogion 2

God is the greatest thing to be conceived

God can either exist either only in understanding or also in reality

Being real is greater than being a concept

If god only existed as a concept something in reality would be greater than him, which is contradictory

god must also exist in reality as he is the greatest thing ever

Anselm’s proslogion 3

God is the greatest thing to be conceived

He can either be contingent or necessary

A being that cannot fail to exist is greater than a being which can

If god could he conceived not to exist that would make contingent

Necessary is greater than contingent, which would make god not the greatest thing conceivable which is a contradiction

Means god cannot be convinced to not exist

Means god is necessary

Means god has to exist

TTWNGCBT (anselm)

That than nothing greater can be conceived

“ the fool has said in his heart there is no god” (Anselm)

The fool rejects gods existence yet the concept is still within the fools understanding meaning god exists within the mind for certain.

Perfect island analogy (gaunilio)

Use Anselm’s “ nothing greater can be conceived” argument and apply it to a desert island. With Anselm’s reasoning if we just imagine the greatest possible island then it must automatically exist in reality or else it’s not the greatest island. This is clearly unreasonable.

Reductio ad absurdism (gaunilo)

An argument which shows a claim is false by demonstrating it leads to an absurd or contradictory conclusion

Cogito ergo sum (decartes)

I think therefore I am. Using hyperbolic doubt, came to the conclusion that if we have the ability to think or doubt or existence then we exist as a thinking being. If we exist as a thinking being then we exist as the fact we have the ability to think proves this.

Predicates (Descartes)

A quality/ attribute that can be given to something

“ supremely perfect being” (Descartes)

God has every perfection and has predicated of omnipotence, omnibenevolence, omniscience and omnipresence

Analogies of triangles and mountains (Descartes)

Like how triangles need 3 sides and a mountain needs valleys, God needs existence as he is supremely perfect, and something supremely perfect would have to exist or else it wouldn’t be completely perfect

Rejection of triangle and mountain analogy (Kant)

A triangle having 3 sides is part of its definition but existence cannot be a part of gods as existing is different. You can’t simply speak something into existence, meaning you can’t say god exists just because he is ‘supremely perfect’.

Existence is not a predicate (Kant)

Saying something exists does not give it quality therefore you can’t define something by existence by imagining it into the definition.

Unicorn example (Kant)

You can imagine a unicorn but it doesn’t mean they actually know they exist (which we know they don’t)

Malcolm’s 3 possibilities

1) god is impossible, concept of god is contradictory and he can’t exist, god doesn’t exist

2)god is possible, god can exist necessarily, god is necessary

3) god is necessary, god can’t fail to exist, god exists

What did Malcom agree with Anselm on.

God is a necessary being and if is existence is possible, then he must exist, as if he is real then he cannot not exist.

Innate idea (Descartes)

Ideas within us since birth

God as an innate idea (Descartes)

We cannot learn god through experience as he does not partake in sensory experiences, therefore he placed himself within our understanding as an innate idea