The ontological argument was introduced by anselm of canterbury in his book proslogion. While there are several different versions of the argument, all purport to show that it is selfcontradictory to deny that there exists a greatest possible being. The ontological argument alvin plantinga 1 the third theistic argument i wish to discuss is the famous ontological argument first formulated by anselm of canterbury in the eleventh century. A statement is a priori one can see that it is true using pure reason and given an understanding of the meanings of the words in it. An ontological argument is a philosophical argument for the existence of god that uses. The ontological argument begins with the claim that god, by definition, is infinitely great.
For many positive ontological arguments, there are parodies which purport to establish the non existence of god s. The fact that that moral laws exist can also be used to argue for god s existence. Arguments of this type are referred to as cosmological arguments. Ontological argument for the gods existence internet.
In these arguments they claim to demonstrate that all human experience and action even the condition of unbelief, itself is a proof for the existence of god, because god s existence is the necessary condition of their intelligibility. As it is by far the most complex and misunderstood arguments for god out of the god argument. In a sense the discussion about the ontological argument is outside of religious language. Discussion of gaunilo usually focuses on his attempt to parody anselms. Jun 28, 2009 dean zimmerman and alvin plantinga discuss the ontological argument for the existence of god. The ontological argument st anselm and descartes both famously presented an ontological argument for the existence of god. An argument for the existence of god articulate your idea. I will then discuss why i believe it is a better account for the existence of god than the teleological argument and the cosmological argument. In this video they will be debating the ontological argument. Anselm began with the concept of god as that than which nothing greater can be. The existence of god richard swinburne university of oxford. While the second chapter proves the mere existence of god, the third chapter proves the necessity of god s existence. The ontological argument and the existence of god the ontological argument has. In this essay it shall be discussed whether there are any arguments which work to prove the existence of god.
Anselm believes in god but wants to give a rational explanation of god s existence. The teleological argument moves to the conclusion that there must exist a designer. Anselm begins his argument by introducing the fool, a reference to psalms 53. What is the teleological argument for the existence of god. It has been some time since the last one so it seems like the time is ripe for another and this one is a great one for discussion. Anselm developed a controversial a priori argument for the exis tence of god. Apr 11, 2012 the ontological argument for the existence of god refers to the claim that the very logical possibility of gods existence entails his actuality. A defense of the ontological argument daniel andrews in this essay i will first explain the ontological argument and my reasons for choosing it. Thomas aquinas and immanuel kant all believe in the existence of god, but their theory on his existence differs. About the work although anselms argument for gods existence presented in this article is based on predominately on reason, anselm presents the argument as clari. We propose a modification of godels ontological argument for gods existence from his ontologischer beweis manuscript 1970. We saw in our discussion of anselm that anselm was trying to provide a reductio ad absurdum of the atheists position, by showing that the supposition that god does not exist in reality leads to an absurdity. The teleological and cosmological arguments shall be first discussed, criticised by showing their reliance on the ontological argument, which shall then be shown to be an inadequate argument. Godels ontological argument, in its different variants, is amongst the most discussed.
The form of the argument is that of a reductio ad absurdum argument. Personally, i believe that the argument can be saved from the objections, and will aim to prove this by presenting and analysing the refutations alongside anselms argument. I discuss recent versions of the parody objection concerning the existence of antigod and the devil, as introduced by peter millican and timothy chambers. The ontological argument is an argument based not on observation of the world like the cosmological and teleological arguments but rather on reason alone. The structure of the ontological argument can be outlined as follows the argument is based on anselms proslogion 2. The second ontological argument examined i gods existence is either necessary or impossible i various other people have tried to prove gods existence possible i leibniz and godel have tried to argue that the only way something can be impossible is if it invovles negation or limitation. Ontological argument philosophy existence justification. The arguments attempt to prove god s existence from the meaning of the word god. In defending the faith, however, it is useful to present a way of proving the existence of god that begins from the fact of the existence. Here we present five arguments in favor of the existence of god.
Original german text available online, 628 kb pdf file, maintained by. The ontological argument baggaley 6 inseparable from god, and hence that he really exists. Each of the phenomena cited in my opening paragraph has formed the starting point of an argument for the existence of god. Fascination with the argument stems from the effort to prove gods existence from simple but powerful premises. Kant on the cosmological argument university of michigan. Yet many people seem to have a hard time understanding it. Anselms ontological argument for the existence of god anselms argument is an a priori argument. An ontological argument is a philosophical argument for the existence of god that uses ontology. These arguments seem to me to have a common pattern.
The anthropological argument is actually a family of arguments, all of which have human beings as their starting point. The transcendental argument for the non existence of god contests the existence of an intelligent creator god by demonstrating that such a being would make logic and morality contingent, which is incompatible with the presuppositionalist assertion that they are necessary, and contradicts the efficacy of science. In defending the faith, however, it is useful to present a way of proving the existence of god that begins from the fact of the existence of the world. The cosmological argument for the existence of god by w. The parody objection to the ontological argument for the existence of god advances parallel arguments apparently proving the existence of various absurd entities. About the work although anselms argument for god s existence presented in this article is based on predominately on reason, anselm presents the argument as clari. The second ontological argument examined i god s existence is either necessary or impossible i various other people have tried to prove god s existence possible i leibniz and godel have tried to argue that the only way something can be impossible is if it invovles negation or limitation. But they have found in the world and our experience of it reasons to believe that god exists. The inference from design to designer is why the teleological argument is also known as the design argument. Descartes ontological argument stanford encyclopedia of. The ontological argument and the devil nagasawa 2010. Is the very concept of god enough to prove his existence. Outline the four classic proofs for god s existence. Because of its a priori nature it also offers an actual proof for god s existence which can be logically debated rather than relying on changeable evidence.
God is conceived as a being than which none greater can be thought, and even the nonbeliever can grasp that idea. In the same context, descartes also characterizes the ontological argument as a proof from the essence or nature of god, arguing that necessary existence cannot be separated from the essence of a supremely perfect being without contradiction. Pdf the ontological argument and the existence of god david. The ontological argument for the existence of god appearedto. This argument for the existence of god has fascinated philosophers ever since anselm first stated it. Objections to the ontological argument existence of god. For some, logical arguments for god s existence may need to be supplemented by those from practical experience. Mackie objects to descartes ontological argument by. Argument from possibility and necessity reductio argument we find in nature things that are possible to be and not to be, that come into being and go out of being i. Outline the four classic proofs for gods existence.
Ontological arguments stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. Anselms ontological argument anselm, 1078 can be regarded as the ancestor of modern ontological arguments such as godels. According to this argument, there is no need to go out looking for physical evidence of god s existence. Alvin plantinga presents an argument for the existence of god using modal logic. Gods existence is inferred directly from the fact that necessary. Ontological arguments are arguments, for the conclusion that god exists, from. They have agreed with hume and kant that existence is not merely a matter of logic, and that gods existence cannot be demonstrated on the basis of thought alone. Descartes ontological or a priori argument is both one of the most fascinating and poorly understood aspects of his philosophy. This being than which no greater can be conceived either exists in the mind alone or both in the mind and in reality. Arguments that prove the existence of god uk essays. What are the strengths of the ontological argument for god.
In contrast, the ontological arguments are conceptual in roughly the following sense. Sadra discussed avicennas arguments for the existence of god, claiming that they were not a priori. Third, the cosmological argument presupposes the ontological argument, but not merely because it tacitly assumes the soundness of the ontological argument as a premise a608b 637. Explain the cosmological argument for the existence of god. Anselms argument is a priori, it is independent of experience. Descartess ontological argument descartes also has his own version of the ontological argument, where like anselm, he focuses on a characterization of god, and then moves to show how this characterization entails gods existence. Ontological argument, argument that proceeds from the idea of god to the reality of god. The argument succeeds as it is deductive and clear conclusions can be drawn from it, this leaves the argument with only one answer. On the impossibility of successful ontological arguments cogprints. Alvin plantingas modal ontological s argument is a irrefutable logical argument for the existence of god. After kants, and others, critiques of anselm, most philosophers regarded the ontological argument as. Many arguments fall under the category of the ontological, and they tend to involve arguments about the state of being or existing. My goal here is to focus on spinozas ontological argument.
The ontological argument for the existence of god the ontological argument is an a priori argument. Based upon this general rule, we can divide the existing arguments for the existence of god into three basic categories, starting from the kind of arguments that need the most premises and axioms. It is the argument that, if one understands what is meant by the word god and follows it out to the logical conclusion, it is impossible for such a being not to exist. We conceive of god as a being than which no greater can be conceived. For a useful discussion of the history of ontological arguments in the modern. In this paper we wish to discuss the ontological argument for the existence of god. This being than which no greater can be conceived either exists in. The ontological argument for the existence of god is a classical christian argument that contends that the very concept of god logically and necessarily demands existence.
How does the ontological argument support the existence of god. The ontological argument is, roughly, the argument that god, being that than which no greater can be conceived, must exist, for if he did not then it would be possible to conceive of an existent god, which would be greater than that than which no greater can be conceived, which is absurd. Anselm, offered an early and influential reply to the ontological argument. The godproperties include necessary existence, necessary.
God, in other words, is the greatest conceivable being if. Descartes ontological argument for the existence of god 2 words 6 pages. Anselm and the proof for the existence of god 1129 words. Explain the cosmological argument for the existence of god essay. The proof contained in proslogion ii is widely known, it was repeatedly debated by medieval scholastics and finally ruined by kant. In simple terms, what is the ontological argument for the existence of god. I also think that the ontological argument, although great, its a little too complicated to even warrant it in a debate even if we acknowledge its use in history.
Strengths and weaknesses of the ontological argument. In this essay i accordingly examine the ontological argument as a logical proof for gods existence, finding it wanting in this respect. The ontological argument for the existence of god word. Therefore, if that, than which nothing greater can be conceived, exists in the understanding alone, the very being, than which nothing greater can be conceived, is one, than which a greater can be conceived. The ontological argument for god s existence is a particular kind of philosophical argument which christian theologians have developed for centuries as a way of showing why it is rational to believe in god s existence. Jun 30, 2014 this is all fine and good, say nontheists, but this is a description of a being whose existence we dont affirm. Before i begin my argument i will reconstruct the a priori ontological argument put forward by anselm to prove the existence of the greatest conceivable. Religious topics abound on listverse and they are frequently the most commented upon. A formalized version of the reductio is located in the appendix b. The ontological argument for the existence of god cross. There are many arguments that can he presented to prove the existence of god. The general idea of the ontological argument is based on the notion that the concept of god as the greatest being implies that god existsif not, there could be something greater, namely an existent greatest beingbut this being would be god. The word ontological comes from ontology, the study of ology of what exists or being ont. In the ontological argument we start from a concept in the mind.
Anselms point of view is one basis for the ontological argument. We dont need empirical evidence to know that its true. The argument from the paucity of benign mutations d. One of the most fascinating arguments for the existence of an allperfect god is the ontological argument. So a being than which no greater can be conceived i. Ontological argument i the ontological argument comes in various forms, but the common element is that it asserts that gods existence can be proven simply from the concept of god. The word teleology comes from telos, which means purpose or goal. How does the ontological argument support the existence of. What do you think of when someone says the word god. The idea is that it takes a purposer to have purpose, and so, where we see things obviously intended for a purpose, we can assume that those things were made for a reason. An anthropological argument for god s existence is then any argument which begins with man and ends with god as an explanation. They have agreed with hume and kant that existence is not merely a matter of logic, and that god s existence cannot be demonstrated on the basis of thought alone.
I will then move onto discuss various theologians that oppose the ontological argument and critique their. The ontological arguments of god are many, the weaknesses they suffer can be found in this reference. Pdf in this article i offer a new interpretation of saint anselms ontological. While the second chapter proves the mere existence of god, the third chapter proves the necessity of gods existence. Ontology is concerned with the reality behind our perceptions. Essay on the ontological argument for the existence of god. Thus god exists in the understanding, even if not in reality.
The ontological argument for the existence of god refers to the claim that the very logical possibility of god s existence entails his actuality. What is interesting here is that the corresponding notion of faith is. This makes it hard to use the cosmological argument to prove the existence of god as the criticisms also make sense. This method employs intuition or, what is the same for descartes, clear and distinct perception. God is, by definition, the most perfect being imaginable. The ontological argument is an argument for god s existence based entirely on reason. Their versions of the argument are slightly different, but. More specifically, ontological arguments tend to start with an a priori theory about the organization of the universe. In this paper i present a novel objection to ontological arguments. However, a famous and powerful argument for gods existence known as the ontological argument purports to be able to show that gods being the greatest possible being entails gods existence.
Newest ontologicalargument questions philosophy stack. This fool has said that in his heart, that there is no god, or denying the existence of god. What is the ontological argument for the existence of god. Specifically, the ontological argument reasons from the study of being ontology. The existence of god what we call religious experience can differ greatly. Descartes p107, sec 67 the case of proving god s existence is special. The ontological argument argument for the existence of god. A proof the key premises of which can be known independent of any experience of the actual world. We follow a leibnizian ontotheology, especially two of leibnizs. Maydole ontological arguments are deductive arguments for the existence of god from general metaphysical principles and other assumptions about the nature or essence of god. Pdf ontological arguments are arguments, for the conclusion that god exists. Original german text available online, 628 kb pdf file, maintained by alain. Dec 18, 2009 the parody objection to the ontological argument for the existence of god advances parallel arguments apparently proving the existence of various absurd entities.
The teleological argument is an attempt to prove the existence of god that begins with the observation of the purposiveness of nature. The inseparablness of valleys from moun tains does not show that mountains exist, but the inseparablness of existence from god does. This helps to explain why ontological arguments have fascinated philosophers for. That which can be conceived not to exist is not god. Identify which two of the following statements are analytic and explain why. Ontological arguments are arguments, for the conclusion that god exists. The four classical proofs of god s existence attempt to argue from both experience the cosmological, teleological and moral arguments and reason alone the ontological argument, with all of them, but especially the latter being open to critical analysis.
Oct 29, 2017 join george and john as they discuss different philosophical theories. Some reports exist of supernatural happenings that it would be difficult to explain from a rational, scientific point of view. There will not be time to discuss other arguments, or to discuss arguments against the existence of god. Discuss anselms ontological argument for gods existence. Therefore it is necessary to admit a first efficient cause, to which everyone gives the name of god.
1390 424 415 400 335 1161 1307 38 21 34 1027 996 1355 50 1056 429 1208 626 141 159 970 1109 1266 563 1357 1213 594 362 829 132 550 200 299 233 192 759 1390 571 534 236 464 1275 1048