Arguments for the existence of God. Ontological Argument Anselm.
THE ONTOLOGICAL ARGUMENT.
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THE ONTOLOGICAL THE ONTOLOGICAL ARGUMENT. ARGUMENT. A BASIC INTRODUCTION. A BASIC INTRODUCTION. THIS THIS MUST MUST BE USED AS A STARTING POINT : OTHER SHEETS, TEXT BOOK AND BE USED AS A STARTING POINT : OTHER SHEETS, TEXT BOOK AND INFORMATION WILL BE NEEDED TO HAVE THE FULL PICTURE INFORMATION WILL BE NEEDED TO HAVE THE FULL PICTURE . . NG f L CYMRU GC a D
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THE ONTOLOGICAL ARGUMENT. A BASIC INTRODUCTION. THIS MUST BE USED AS A STARTING POINT : OTHER SHEETS, TEXT BOOK AND INFORMATION WILL BE NEEDED TO HAVE THE FULL PICTURE. Comes from Ontos : Being. Is a priori : relies on definition of a word. Is therefore, deductive and analytic. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Transcript of THE ONTOLOGICAL ARGUMENT.
THE ONTOLOGICAL THE ONTOLOGICAL ARGUMENT.ARGUMENT.
A BASIC INTRODUCTION.A BASIC INTRODUCTION.
THIS THIS MUSTMUST BE USED AS A STARTING POINT : OTHER SHEETS, TEXT BOOK AND BE USED AS A STARTING POINT : OTHER SHEETS, TEXT BOOK AND
INFORMATION WILL BE NEEDED TO HAVE THE FULL PICTUREINFORMATION WILL BE NEEDED TO HAVE THE FULL PICTURE. .
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STARTING POINTS.STARTING POINTS.
• Comes from Ontos : Being.
• Is a priori : relies on definition of a word.
• Is therefore, deductive and analytic.
• The conclusion flows logically from the premises.(Does this make the conclusion right ?)
• A predicate / perfection / quality / characteristic / attribute tells us something about the subject.
• In the argument, Anselm says that the predicate is contained in the subject.
• So, God’s existence can be shown to be self-evident by analysing the word “God.”
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CONTINUED.CONTINUED.
• By analysing the word “God” it will be obvious, says Anselm, that God exists.
• A bachelor is an unmarried male :
• Subject=bachelor• Predicate=male,
unmarried.
• Anselm says :-• “God exists” : • Subject=God• Predicate=Exists.• 1. What do you think of
the above analysis of “God exists ?”
• 2. List 3 other a priori/analytic statements i.e. where the truth/falsity is known by analysing the statement.
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DEFINITION OF GOD.DEFINITION OF GOD.
• As the argument relies on analysing a definition, clearly the definition of God is vital :-
• “A BEING THAN WHICH NOTHING GREATER CAN BE CONCEIVED.”
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The Fool.The Fool.
• Psalm 14 NIV
• 1 “The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.”
• Anselm says that even the fool has the concept of God in their mind, in order to reject God.
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FROM GOD’S DEFINITION…FROM GOD’S DEFINITION…
• Greater=perfect• Conceived=though
t of• Existence is a
perfection you can have or lack
• Perfection=having all perfections/predicates/qualities etc.
• So, to be “a Being than..” God must have the perfection of existence or else he would not be “a Being..”
• WHY ?? Explain your answer.
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THIS IS WHY FOLKS…THIS IS WHY FOLKS…
• It is surely better to exist in reality than in mind alone.
• So, if God only had existence in the mind, then there could be another being who had existence in reality who would then be greater/more perfect than God.
• But, this cannot be true, as God is “a Being than..”
• So, God exists.
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GAUNILOGAUNILO
• He criticised this first form, mainly because the first form has existence as a predicate.
• Anselm’s reply was that God is “a special case” and the argument applies only to necessary beings and not to contingent things like islands.
• Anselm wrote a second form of the ontological argument.
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ANSELM’S 2ANSELM’S 2NDND FORM. FORM.
• Here, existence is not treated as a predicate.
• Looks at 2 modes of existence : contingent (could not have been) and necessary( could not not be.)
• Basic form : greater/more perfect to have necessary existence as opposed to contingent existence. Why ?
• Contingent existence relies on another to bring it into existence.
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22ndnd form (Cont.) form (Cont.)
• This being is therefore limited. This being cannot then be God as God is “a Being than..”
• If God were contingent/limited, then we could conceive of another being who has the predicate/property of necessary existence and this being would then be greater/more perfect than God, as it is more perfect to have the perfection of necessary existence.
• So,… nearly there….!
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GOD EXISTS !!!GOD EXISTS !!!
• God’s existence must be necessary in order for God to match up to the definition that Anselm has given him.
• So, by analysing the definition of the word God, Anselm has shown that God exists.
• To deny God’s existence, once we have that definition of God is contradictory.
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RESEARCH PIECE.RESEARCH PIECE.
• Use at least two texts.
• Write an account of Anselm’s ontological argument. You must separate out his two forms.
• Using the WJEC Level descriptors, swop your answer with someone else. Mark each other’s work.
