ipl-logo

Essay On Anselm's Proslogium

638 Words3 Pages

tler
Dr. Key
History of Philosophy Anselm’s Proslogium is a discourse on the existence of God in the form of a prayer. Notably, in the course of this prayer is the formation of the ontological argument, which evidently, logically validates the existence of God. The ontological argument possesses two distinct components that are mentioned in the Proslogium. Anselm’s first assertion is that everyone at least has a conception of God. He says, “even the fool is convinced that something exits…than which nothing greater can be conceived” (445). Moreover, God as a concept cannot merely exist in thought, since He is greater than every conceivable thing (445). Conceivable things can exist only in imagination and not reality, but God is greater than …show more content…

In Guanilo’s criticism the disapproval lies in the fact that, apparently, anything can be supplemented in the place of the conception of God. Guanilo retorts that he could use an island, for example, as a substitute for the conception of God (446). Therefore, because he possesses a conception of a most perfect island, it must necessarily exist (446).
Nevertheless, Anselm cleverly responds to this criticism and demonstrates how Guanilo missed the ontological idea in ST. Anselm’s Rejoinder. The island that Guanilo speaks of, or any other potential substitute for that manner, does not reflect necessary being and is contingent. Only God can be that which nothing greater can be conceived (447). Guanilo’s argument fails to disprove the credibility of the ontological argument because it attempts to replace the concept of God with something that belongs to an entirely distinct category.
Anselm’s ontological argument is important because it leaves no gray area concerning spiritual faith. The second portion of the argument asserts that God’s existence is either possible or impossible, and if possible, then He exists necessarily (445). Moreover, it eliminates the thought, that God can be conceptually possible and that He may or may not

Show More
Related

Wager's Argument For The Existence Of God

378 Words | 2 Pages

The ontological argument states that perfection is a part of the concept of God, and that perfection entails existence, and so the concept of God entails God’s existence. However, it can be argued that if God is an infinite goodness, then its contrary, evil, should not exist. Alas, there is evil in the world, and, therefore, God cannot exist. The ontological argument also seeks to demonstrate that God exists on the basis of concept alone. Pascal’s Wager attempts to justify the belief in God with an

Read More

Diction In Bless Me Ultima

864 Words | 4 Pages

Bless Me, Ultima Spring Essay The golden carp “made me shiver . . . the roots of everything I had ever believed in seemed shaken. If the golden carp was a god, who was the man on the cross? The Virgen?”

Read More

Mackie's Evil And Omnipotence

933 Words | 4 Pages

The question that is asked time and time again is whether or not god exists. It is evident that people hold different beliefs. It is evident that through some of the beliefs of J.L. Mackie that it could be argued that God does not actually exist. I find this argument to be more agreeable. In Mackie’s Evil and Omnipotence, he argues many points to support why it should be believed that god does not exist.

Read More

Plato's Views On The Allegory Of The Cave

1377 Words | 6 Pages

The definition of God is the greatest being. A thought of something that exists is greater than a thought of something that does not exist. That means if God is just a thought that does not exist, there must be a being greater than Him. This would contradict the definition of God. Therefore, God must exist so that the definition would be true.

Read More

Saint Thomas Aquinas Argument For The Existence Of God

871 Words | 4 Pages

The objection addressed the validity of the argument which had the premise 1, nothing is the efficient cause of itself except God and premise 2, a chain of causes cannot be infinite. The argument thus concludes there must be a first cause. This conclusion agrees with my thesis that Saint Thomas Aquinas’s argument formulated in the second way leads to a valid argument, which concludes that there must be a first cause and that God

Read More

Analysis Of Descartes Cogito Argument

862 Words | 4 Pages

In this paper, I will deliver a reconstruction of Descartes’ Cogito Argument and my reasoning to validate it as indubitable. I will do so by justifying my interpretations through valid arguments and claim, by showcasing examples with reasoning. Rene Descartes is a French Philosopher of the 17th century, who formulated the philosophical Cogito argument by the name of ‘cogito ergo sum,’ also known as “I think, therefore, I am.” Rene was a skeptic philosopher amongst many scholastic philosophers of his time. To interpret his cogito argument as indubitable and whether it could serve as a foundational belief, he took a skeptical approach towards the relations between thoughts and existence.

Read More

Some Areas That Have Clouded The World View Of Christian Life

537 Words | 3 Pages

God is outside of man’s ability to grasp completely. Descartes, Spinoza and Leibniz tried to disprove the existence of God using mathematical and geometric formulas only to prove that God cannot be understood mathematically. Secondly,

Read More

Thomas Aquinas First Cause Argument Analysis

1797 Words | 8 Pages

In this essay, I will set out to prove that Thomas Aquinas’ First Cause Argument does not show that God exists and the conclusion that God exists does not follow from the premises of the first cause argument. I do think that the conclusion is valid and could be sound/or has the potential to be, but the premises fail to provide the basis upon which to reach such a conclusion. Hence, I will be raising some objections to the premises and will try to disprove any counter-arguments that could be raised in its defense. This would be done by examining Aquinas’ First Cause Argument and trying to disprove it whilst countering arguments in its defense.

Read More

Problem Of Evil Mackie Analysis

1089 Words | 5 Pages

The existence of God has been presented by a multitude of philosophers. However, this has led to profound criticism and arguments of God’s inexistence. The strongest argument in contradiction to God’s existence is the Problem of Evil, presented by J.L Mackie. In this paper, I aim to describe the problem of evil, analyse the objection of the Paradox of Omnipotence and provide rebuttals to this objection. Thus, highlighting my support for Mackie’s Problem of evil.

Read More

Evaluate Anselm's Ontological Argument

539 Words | 3 Pages

2001 p. 180). To fully understand Anselm’s argument, a series of steps needs to be understood. The first step towards understanding Anselm’s argument is that one must first accept the fact that God is the greatest possible being. The second fact or point to note is that God exists in the human mind or understanding. The third point, step, or fact to accept is that if God exists only in the human mind, then God is not the greatest possible being (McGrath & OverDrive, Inc. 2001

Read More

Cosmological Vs Ontological Argument

1444 Words | 6 Pages

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.

Read More

Criticisms Of Anselm's Ontological Argument

1411 Words | 6 Pages

Secondly, the lack of complete understanding of a God that is greater than any other is the basis of Anselm’s argument. In other words, one needs not understand how it is that no other greater God exists, because it is not possible to do that. It is the concept of understanding that such a being exists that is important. As long as it is possible to have such a state, then the definition given by Anselm is

Read More

Anselm Vs Descartes Ontological Argument

945 Words | 4 Pages

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

Read More

Gentrification In Big Cities

1157 Words | 5 Pages

Gentrification is a problem that has taken place in many major cities across the country, and is an even bigger problem today. As gentrification becomes more common, it has become more controversial, too. Gentrification is the process in which urban neighborhoods or cities get rebuilt or renovated, resulting in increased property values and eviction of lower-income families and small businesses. Gentrification normally takes place in bigger cities like D.C, Boston, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Nashville, and Baltimore. The purpose of the process is to improve and upgrade cities to make them more presentable and efficient.

Read More

What Is Spinoza's View Of Substance Dualism

1744 Words | 7 Pages

Baruch Spinoza’s geometric structured view on the universe, and everything in general, is beautifully broken down for present and future thinkers to ponder in his work, Ethics. Although complex at times, his method of demonstrating each discoveries of proved proposition aids readers to conceptual God-Nature. At the base of these propositions are definitions and axioms (truths) Spinoza accounts as certain truths and are critical to understanding God-Nature (substance). I will here provide an account of Spinoza’s substance monism and attribute pluralism, along with strengths and weaknesses in his arguments for this picture of reality.

Read More

More about Essay On Anselm's Proslogium

Related Topics

Open Document