The Ontological Argument

1. The Ontological Argument Must God logically exist?

2. The Ontological Argument • Four main contributors to the argument • Anselm • Descartes • Gaunilo • Kant

3. The Ontological Argument • An a priori argument • Based on innate knowledge • logic • Attempts to prove existence of God from the meaning of the word ‘God’ • Depends on a particular understanding of God

4. St Anselm of Canterbury • 1033 -1109 • Book – Proslogion

5. Classical concept of God • Omnipotent • All powerful • Can do anything • Omniscient • Knows all things, past, present and future • Omnipresent • Present at every place at same time

6. Anselm’s first argument • Anselm defined God as: • ‘that than which nothing greater can be conceived’ • Everyone must have a definition of God • Even the atheist • Therefore God exists in the mind • Just as dragons exist in the mind • And therefore: • God must exist in reality because He is: • ‘that than which nothing greater can be conceived’

7. Gaunilo’s objection • If I were to describe the most perfect Island • Then state that it must exist because of its perfection • You would be a fool to believe me

8. Criticism of Gaunilo • Not comparing Like with Like • Anselm talks of • ‘that than which nothing greater can be conceived’ • A greater Island can always be conceived

9. Anselm’s second argument • Must be more to God than fact that He exists • That would make him similar to us • Therefore God must be ‘necessary’ • That is there is no possibility of Him not existing

10. Anselm’s second argument • It can be conceived that something exists that cannot be thought not to exist • God must be such a thing if He is • ‘that than which nothing greater can be conceived’ • This is because something that can be thought not to exist would be inferior to that which cannot

11. Descartes • 1596-1650

12. Descartes argument • God is a supremely perfect being • Existence is a predicate of a perfect being • PREDICATE - the part of a sentence in which something is said about the subject • Trying to image God without the predicate of existence is illogical • Like a triangle without 3 sides

13. Kant • 1724-1804

14. Kant’s objection • Opposed Descartes • Triangles • If you dismiss the idea of 3 sides (predicate) • And you dismiss the idea of the triangle (subject) • There is no contradiction • You can define a thing as you think fit • But that does not mean it exists

15. Kant’s objection • Opposed Anselm • Existence is not a predicate • To say that X exists tells you nothing about X • A predicate must say something about X • ‘X is’ does not tell us anything about X • If ‘X exists’ tells us about a property of X then ‘X does not exist’ must tell us what X lacks • However, how can something that does not exist lack anything?

16. Putting it together • Write bullet points that show how you would go about answering the following exam question: (a) Explain the traditional forms of the ontological argument put forward by Anselm and Descartes (33) (b) ‘The criticisms presented by Gaunilo and Kant successfully reject these arguments.’ Discuss (17)