Ontological argument critisisms

What was Gaunilos first criticism?

Reductio ad absurdum - replace the word “God” with any other (he used island), the whole argument is disproved

What was Gaunilos second criticism?

“There could always be greater”

What was Aquinas’ criticism?

Anselm has committed a transitional error - some people have different definitions of God

Transitional error - we can think of things without them existing

What was Palmer's criticism?

Sometimes, it is better for things to exist in intellectu (as a concept), rather than in reality e.g getting shot

What was Hume’s criticism?

Things are only necessary if it is self-contradictory for them to not exist

What is Kant’s first criticism?

Existence is not a predicate - it does not add anything to an object e.g “100 real thalers do not contain the least coin more than 100 possible thalers”

What was Kant's second criticism?

God only possesses the attribute of existence if He exists - “there is no contradiction in rejecting the triangle with it's three angles”

What was Moore's criticism?

The quality of existence does not add anything of value - “some tame tigers do not growl” is more meaningful than “some tame tigers do not exist”

What is Hick's criticism?

Ontological argument confuses the meaning of necessary existence - fallacy of equivocation, “If God exists, then God's existence is eternal”

What is Dawkins’ criticism?

Malcolm's argument is nothing more than a language trick

Additional criticisms:

• atheists have a different definition/concept of God

• language games mean that the theory is pointless - why attempt to prove something you know they cannot believe in?

• Malcolm's argument repeats Anselm's - house of cards fallacy

• requires accepting premise of God being perfect