Ontological Argument: Detailed Notes

• Who created the Ontological Argument?

  St Anselm
• What does ontology refer to?

  'Being' or 'existing'
• Why is the Ontological Argument controversial?

  Critics are often religious but doubtful
• What type of argument is the Ontological Argument?

  A priori argument
• What is a strength of a priori arguments for God?

  Not undermined by new scientific evidence
• What type of reasoning do Ontological arguments use?

  Deductive reasoning
• What does the truth of deductive arguments entail?

  The truth of premises entails the conclusion
• What is the first premise of Anselm's Ontological Argument?

  God is the greatest conceivable being
• What is the second premise of Anselm's Ontological Argument?

  It is greater to exist in reality
• What is the conclusion of Anselm's Ontological Argument?

  God exists in reality
• How does Anselm illustrate his argument?

  With a painter's idea before painting
• What does Anselm reference from Psalm 14:1?

  The fool says there is no God
• What does Anselm argue about the idea of God?

  It cannot exist in the mind alone
• What is self-contradictory according to Anselm?

  To say God does not exist in reality
• What does Anselm conclude about necessary existence?

  God is a necessary being
• How does Malcolm interpret Anselm's term 'greater'?

  Referring to dependence for existence
• What does Hartshorne call Anselm's insight?

  Anselm's discovery
• What analogy does Anselm use to explain understanding God?

  Seeing daylight without seeing the sun
• What is Gaunilo's objection to Anselm's argument?

  God cannot be in our understanding
• What does Aquinas argue against Anselm?

  God's nature is beyond our understanding
• What does Gaunilo doubt about the greatest conceivable being?

  That we can understand this idea
• What does Peter van Inwagen argue about understanding God?

  We don't need full understanding for the argument
• What traits does God possess according to Anselm?

  Omnipotence, omniscience, etc.
• What does Apophatic theology suggest about reasoning about God?

  It is impossible to reason about God
• What does Pseudo-Dionysius argue about God's nature?

  God is beyond human concepts
• What is Gaunilo's 'lost island' response?

  It questions the validity of Anselm's argument
• What does Gaunilo assert about the perfect lost island?

  It exists in his understanding
• What is the absurd result of applying Anselm's logic to the lost island?

  Reality would be overloaded with perfect things
• What does Anselm argue about the nature of an island?

  An island is dependent on other things
• Why can't the existence of contingent beings be proven a priori?

  They depend on something else for existence
• What does Anselm's defense highlight about God's existence?

  It is unique and not ordinary
• What is required for something to be considered an island?

  It must depend on something else to exist
• Why can't a priori analysis prove the existence of contingent beings?

  Because their existence depends on external factors
• How does the concept of the greatest being differ from contingent beings?

  It does not involve dependence, making it necessary
• What is Anselm's defense of the ontological argument?

  • Anselm argues God's existence is unique
  • Ordinary understanding of existence does not apply
  • He refutes the relevance of the perfect island
• What was Anselm's failure in responding to Gaunilo's contention?

  He did not prove God's actual existence
• What was Descartes' aim with the ontological argument?

  To strengthen it through rationalist epistemology
• What is the core of Scholasticism influenced by Aristotle?

  Subject-predicate analysis
• How does Descartes define intuition in knowledge acquisition?

  As direct intellectual awareness of truths
• How does Descartes argue for God's existence through intuition?

  We cannot conceive of God without existence