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Ontological Argument For God's Existence

1313 Words6 Pages

The question of god’s existence has been at the forefront of people’s minds for the majority of known history. The reasons this question arises varies from person to person, but holds in common the human craving for knowledge. Because of this there have been many proofs which set out to prove god’s existence of which the most accessible is the ontological argument for the existence of god. The aim is to envision a god which depends on nothing else but itself for existence. The ontological argument seeks to move from the definition of god to the actualization of god’s being. The ontological argument for the existence of god begins with a definition of terms. God, is that being that which no greater being can be thought. This means first that …show more content…

Existence in only the understanding is tainted with human inequality and does not even necessitate an accurate portrayal. Existence in reality would always be seen as greater than just the understanding because it has the ability to engage in the real world and affect cause and effect. If god is that being which no greater can be thought and existence in reality is greater than existence in the understanding, then god must exist in reality. While this argument is sound I do not believe that it is valid. It necessitates god’s existence through its very definition and this seems to be circular logic. If one would wish to make this argument, they would have to necessitate god’s existence from something other than its own …show more content…

If god is that being which no greater can be thought, then it must exist because existence in reality is greater than existence in the understanding. An objection to this that it is circular is overcome by the distinction of modes of being which finds that god is a necessary being as the unmoved mover. Any human objection stands insufficient, because human reason cannot even contemplate fully god’s essence. Because of this the stand point of atheism is one of ignorance where one does not fully grasp the concept of god laid before them. Lastly Guanilo’s critic falls short because his island moves closer and closer to divine until it becomes god; further proving god’s necessity. It seems at the least that this analysis proves the possibility of god and disproves the possibility of

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