The Ontological Argument

Question 1

What is ontology?

Answer 1

The science of existing or being

Question 2

How do ontological arguments aim to prove God’s existence?

Answer 2

From the meaning of the word ‘God’

Question 3

What type of theory is the ontological?

Answer 3

• A priori
• Based on reason

Question 4

What type of argument is the ontological?

Answer 4

• Deductive
• Because it is based on reason, the conclusion can be deduced from the premises
• If you accept the premises, it would be illogical to deny the conclusion.

Question 5

What text and chapters did Anselm suggest his ontological argument in?

Answer 5

The Proslogion, chapter 2 and 3

Question 6

What kind of text is the Proslogion, and what kind of people would be reading it?

Answer 6

A meditative prayerful text
People who already have faith

Question 7

What is Anselm’s first form?

Answer 7

• Anselm defines God as ‘a being that which none greater can be conceived’
• He then distinguishes between something existing in intellectu, and in re.
• However, if God exists only in intellectu, then a greater being than him can be imagined- a being which also exists in re.
• Therefore, God must exist in re for the definition to be true.

Question 8

What does it mean for something to exist in intellectu

Answer 8

It only exists in our mind, not in the real world

Question 9

What does it mean for something to exist in re?

Answer 9

It exists in reality, not just in our minds

Question 10

Who suggested the ‘perfect island’ criticism of Anselm’s first form?

Answer 10

Gaunilo

Question 11

What was Gaunilo’s perfect island criticism?

Answer 11

• Criticised Anselm’s first form
  -He argued you could apply Anselm’s reasoning to any imaginary concept, such as a perfect island, and bring it into existence
• This is illogical and does not happen

Question 12

What is Anselm’s second form?

Answer 12

• Anselm drew a distinction between contingent and necessary existence, suggesting God’s existence was de dicto necessary
• God is defined as a being which none greater can exist
• If god was contingent, then a greater being could exist- a necessary one
• Therefore, God’s existence must be necessary
• A necessary being cannot be conceived as not existing

Question 13

Why does the Anselm’s second form mean Gaunilo’s criticism no longer applies?

Answer 13

• Even the most perfect Island is contingent, being a material object
• Contingent objects cannot be defined into existence
• As God is necessary and has always existed anyway, the argument does apply to God

Question 14

What does de dicto necessary mean?

Answer 14

Necessary by definition

Question 15

What is the story of the fool?

Answer 15

• Psalm 53 - ‘the fool has said in his heart there is no God’
  -The fool has failed to grasp the full implications of the concept of God
• If an atheist fully understand the definition of God, then the deductive nature of Anselm’s argument would mean it would be illogical to deny God’s existence

Question 16

What does Anslem say is de ducto Abserdum

Answer 16

The idea that God only exists in the mind, because this would go against Anselm’s definition

Question 17

Who suggested an ontological argument in meditations 3 and 5?

Answer 17

Renee Descartes

Question 18

Explain Descartes ontological argument in meditations 3

Answer 18

• As Descartes could conceive of his own existence, he could also conceive of the existence as a perfect being
• However, as an imperfect being we could not conjure the concept of a perfect being ourselves
• This concept must therefore have originated from the perfect being
• A perfect being must be necessary and exist to be perfect
• Therefore a perfect being exists

Question 19

What does Descartes suggest in mediations 5?

Answer 19

• Develops the second form of Anselm’s argument
  1) Existence is a property of a perfect being. It is a predicate
  2) Therefore, in the same way a triangle must have 3 sides to be a triangle,
  3) God must exist to be a perfect being and avoid contradiction

Question 20

What is a predicate?

Answer 20

A defining attribute of something

Question 21

What does Kant criticise about Anselm’s and Descartes idea of predicates?

Answer 21

• The predicate of a thing must give us specific information about it
• Saying God exists is the same as saying ‘God is’
• This tells us nothing specific about the properties of God
• Existence is not a predicate of anything, including God
• It is not a real or determining predicate

Question 22

What text does Kant criticise the ontological argument in?

Answer 22

The critique of pure reason

Question 23

What does Kant further criticise about the paradoxes involved in existence as a predicate?

Answer 23

• If existence is a predicate, how can something that does not exist lack a property in the first place since there is nothing to lack it?

Question 24

What does Kant criticise about Descarte’s attempt to define predicates for God?

Answer 24

• For Kant, it is possible to create or enhance the definition of anything we choose
• But it does not follow that reality will match our definition
• Just because Descartes emphasises existence as a predicate for God, does not mean that God actually exists

Question 25

What is Hume's objection to the ontological?

Answer 25

- Argues existence can only be contingent- necessary existence is not coherent - It's not possible to move from de dicto necessity of a proposition to the in re necessity of God

Question 26

How did Norman Malcom support the ontological argument?

Answer 26

- Supports necessary existence - If God does not already exist, God cannot come into existence as this requires God to be limited which he is not by definition - If God exists he cannot cease to exist - Hence, God is necessary.

Question 27

How does Bertrand Russell criticise the a priori reasoning of the ontological?

Answer 27

He suggests that existence is only meaningful if it refers to an ‘instance’ of something- an observation of it. We cannot see instances of God.

Question 28

How does Plantinga support Anselm against Gaunilo?

Answer 28

- He suggests that an island cannot have intrinsic maxima- it can always be improved and never reach perfection. - God does have intrinsic maxima however, and therefore Anslems’ reasoning does not apply to the island but does to god.

Question 29

What are real or determining predicates?

Answer 29

A statement about something that actually adds to the characteristics of the thing. Kant believes existence is not a real or determining predicate

Question 30

What are analytic statements?

Answer 30

Statements in which the proof for the statement being valid lies within the statement itself

Question 31

What are synthetic statements?

Answer 31

Statements that require external, synthetic justification to be valid

Question 32

What type of statements about God's existence are made in the ontological and how does Kant criticise this?

Answer 32

Analytic statements. Kant believes that statements about existence must be synthetic to be valid. Saying 'God exists by definition' does not prove that God exists.

Question 33

What does Bertrand Russel suggest is required for existence to be meaningful?

Answer 33

Existence is only meaningful if it refers to an 'instance' of something that can be observed. We cannot observe 'instances' of God and therefore the ontological is not valid.

Question 34

How may one reject the premises of Anslelm's and Descartes ontological?

Answer 34

The definition of God can be rejected God is an infinite being- it's ignorant to suggest that our limited language can fully describe him Barth agrees

Question 35

How does Descartes define God?

Answer 35

A supremely perfect being

Question 36

Why might some criticise the ontological as committing a logical fallacy?

Answer 36

It assumes that its definition of God is correct or universally accepted. They also assume existence is a predicate of God and perfection