Anselm of Canterbury, a medieval philosopher, believed that there was a natural tie between faith and reason. He thought using our own rational powers could prove our faith. His goal was in finding a rational and logical proof for the existence of God. He sought to provide demonstration of the existence of God through a philosophical argument referred to as the ontological argument for the existence of God. Anselm's approach was based on a priori, which is the use of reason alone to get to a conclusion. Anselm aimed to establish God's existence through analysis and logical deduction rather than empirical evidence.
Anselm's ontological argument was explained in the following:
1. God is omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent, infinite, eternal, and transcendental.
2. God is understood to be a being than which none greater can be conceived.
3. God exists in
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#5 is a contradiction (Nothing greater than the greatest).
9. Therefore #3 is false, that is, for God to be the greatest conceivable being, He must exist in reality.
In other words, Anselm argued that if one can conceive a being that possesses all perfections, it is greater for that being to exist in reality rather than just in the mind. Therefore, with God being defined as the greatest conceivable being, He must exist in reality to solidify the definition.
Anselm's argument relied on the concept of God being a necessary being, which is a being whose nonexistence is logically impossible. According to Anselm, if God’s nonexistence is a possibility, then He would not be the greatest conceivable being. Therefore, God's existence is necessary for Him to be the greatest conceivable being. Anselm's goal with the ontological argument was to find proof for the existence of God that is grounded on the base of reason and does not rely on any sensory or observable experience or external evidence. He aimed to show that God's existence could be demonstrated through logical analysis and the understanding of the concept of
According to the “Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy”, the Judeo-Christian God is defined as “the creator and sustainer of the universe and is unlimited with regard to knowledge (omniscience), power (omnipotence), extension (omnipresence), and moral perfection.” With regard to God’s existence, many philosophical arguments, some of which date back thousands of year, deliver intriguing and intellectual interpretations, questioning our knowledge about the universe. One of them is the Design Argument, or the teleological argument, the most influential and developed argument for the existence of God throughout history. The basic idea of this argument is that the universe, which we live is created and controlled by an intelligent designer, namely God. In this paper, I will begin by further explaining one version of the arguments from design for the existence of God-specifically one from English philosopher William Paley in his book “Natural Theology”.
What phrase does Anselm use to designate God? Explain why he formulates his designation in this way. Do you think this is an appropriate way to speak of God? The Phrase he used was “God is that than which no greater can be conceived”. There are two reasons as to why Anselm words this the way he does, reason one is the idea that “ no greater can be conceived” he doesn’t want you to be able to think about something greater hence the idea that no greater can be thought of by a person.
If God only exists in human understanding, there leaves a possibility that something greater can be conceived. In this sense, there is an implied
Saint Anselm delivered the strongest ontological argument for God through conceptual analysis. The ontological argument is a deductive argument that is an analytical statement that can be constructed by definition(s). He argues that one thing is necessary to exist, and that thing is God. God is a necessary being. His argument is known as reductio ad absurdum, which demonstrates through a contradiction that God exists.
There have been an innumerable amount of arguments for the existence of God for hundreds of years. Some have become much more popular due to their merit, and their ability to stay relevant through changing times. Two arguments in particular that have been discussed for a very long time are the ontological and cosmological arguments. Each were proposed in the period of the high middle ages by members of the Roman Catholic Church. They each have been used extensively by many since their introduction.
As I reach for the doorknob, Anselm, Aquinas and Kant enter the room. Aquinas : Whatever you are trying to say, Anselm, doesn’t prove His existence. It’s a priori argument. I say that we have to search for a posteriori evidence instead.
An obvious similarity between Anselm and Descartes’ methods is that they are both arguing for the existence of God instead of against it. They both come to the conclusion that God must exist based on their logical
The existence of God, an idea that has occupied the minds of the most brilliant philosophers in history. In response to this question they created three major arguments for the existence of god. These arguments are the cosmological argument for the existence of god, the anthological argument for the existence of god and the theological argument for the existence of god. The Theological Argument for the Existence of God also known as the Argument from Design or the Intelligence Design Argument states that the universe show remarkable sophistication and this sophistication suggest human-like intelligence (Arechavaleta).
“It is possible to think a being “than which nothing greater can be conceived” -i.e. it is the most Perfect. So, if you are actually thinking of “that than which nothing greater can be conceived,” this logically entails thinking of that thing as existing in reality as well as in the mind. This being is what we call “God”” (Leib slide 2).
If god doesn’t cause my existence, then I am caused by myself, my parents or a lesser cause. There is no infinite regression, so I my existence isn’t caused by my parents or lesser cause, Therefore, God is the cause of my existence (AD 51). As well I am not God, If I created
St. Anselm’s argument is based on the superiority of an existent God over a non-existent God. But as Kant argues, existence is more of a description of the real world, whether a thing exists in it or not, rather than the property of an object. Hence
Anselm begins his argument in proslogion two by stating that there is no greater being than God. This greatness does not necessarily mean large, but it entails that God is the most perfect conceivable being in every single way. Furthermore, Anselm does not say that God is the most perfect being in existence, but rather that God
Before restating the Anselm’s argument for the existence of God, it is important to understand who Anselm was and what might have compelled him to come up with the ontological argument for the existence of God. Anselm’s background information will be helpful in evaluating the validity and reliability of his arguments. Anselm was born in Italy in c. 1033. In 1063, he entered the famous monastery. In 1093, he moved to England, having been appointed Archbishop of Canterbury.
So, we end up getting the point that one can conceive or imagine a being which is greater than God. But the conclusion of this whole process leads to a contradiction because the basic assumption is that God is a being which nothing greater can be conceived. So we cannot imagine something which is greater than
St. Anselm and Descartes are known for presenting the first ontological arguments on the existence of God. The word ontological is a compound word derived from ‘ont’ which means exists or being and ‘–ology’ which means the study of. Even though Anselm and Descartes’ arguments differ slightly, they both stem from the same reasoning. Unlike the other two arguments on God’s existence (teleological and cosmological), the ontological argument does not seek to use any empirical evidence but rather concentrates on pure reason. The rationale behind this school of thought