arguments based on reason - ontological

Question 1

ontological meaning

Answer 1

ontos (being) logos (study of)
the study of being

Question 2

type of knowledge and argument used (2 things)

Answer 2

a priori knowledge
deductive argument

Question 3

a priori

Answer 3

arguments based on reason

Question 4

deductive argument

Answer 4

the conclusion follows the premise

Question 5

the first and best known argument was made by

Answer 5

St. Anselm of Canterbury

Question 6

when did St. Anselm make his ontological argument

Answer 6

11th century CE

Question 7

the passage from the Bible that Anselms ontological argument reflects on

Answer 7

“fools say in their hearts “there is no God”” Psalm

Question 8

what does St Anselm define God as

Answer 8

a being than which no greater can be conceived

Question 9

Anselms premise one

Answer 9

God is a being “that than which no greater can be conceived”

Question 10

Anselms premise two

Answer 10

God may exist either in the mind alone (in intellectu) or in reality (in re) as well

Question 11

anselms premise three

Answer 11

something which exists in reality and in the mind is greater than something which exists in the mind alone

Question 12

anselms premise four

Answer 12

god is the greatest conceivable being so he would exist both in the mind and reality. Therefore God exists.

Question 13

anselm’s ‘the fool’

Answer 13

‘the fool’ who does not believe God exists in reality, but still has the idea of god in their mind.

Question 14

anselms painter analogy

Answer 14

analogy of the painter:
a painter has an idea of what he is going to paint before he creates the painting - which then exists in the mind and in reality. This shows that existing in the mind and reality are different

Question 15

reductio ad absurdum

Answer 15

‘reduction to the absurd’ in this argument we begin by assuming the opposite of the claim we want to prove and show that from this claim something absurd follows. this shows that the opposite of the claim we want to argue for is false, and that the claim we want to argue for is true.

Question 16

what is a predicate

Answer 16

a description or attribute that tells us something about the subject

Question 17

predicate example (bachelor and god exists)

Answer 17

a bachelor is an unmarried man
subject - bachelor
predicate - unmarried, man
“god exists”
subject - god
predicate - exists

Question 18

who was guanilo

Answer 18

monk

Question 19

title of guanilos book

Answer 19

“on behalf of the fool”

Question 20

guanilos three ways why existence is not a predicate of god

Answer 20

gossip
defining things in to existence
guanilos island

Question 21

guanilos gossip argument

Answer 21

all sorts of things in my mind do not exist in reality
if someone hears something from gossip, it is unreliable and tricks you

Question 22

guanilos defining things in to existence

Answer 22

you cannot demonstrate the existence of something simply by having an idea about it
just because anselm described God as that than which nothing greater can be conceived, does not mean that God is this
anselm cannot define god into existence

Question 23

guanilos island

Answer 23

imagine a perfect island, just because you imagine it does not mean it exists in reality

Question 24

guanilo applying reducto ad absurdum against anselms argument

Answer 24

if anselms proof for the existence of a GCB was sound then we could give sound proof for the existence of a greatest conceivable island
we cannot give sound proof for the existence of a greatest conceivable island
therefore anselms proof for the existence of a greatest conceivable being is not sound

Question 25

anselms reply to guanilo

Answer 25

god isnt a perfect thing like an island, God is THE perfect thing.
god is not contingent like an island, God has necessary existence, since it is greater to be a necessary being than a contingent one

Question 26

alvin plantinga’s comment on islands

Answer 26

islands have no “intrinsic maximum”

Question 27

kants objection

Answer 27

existence is not a predicate

Question 28

kant: why is existence not a predicate

Answer 28

you would not describe something as having existence when describing them

Question 29

kants view on the statement “God is omnipotent”

Answer 29

‘is’ is not a predicate - it does not add anything
‘omnipotent’ is a predicate - it adds a quality to god

Question 30

analytic and synthetic statements

Answer 30

analytic statements are definitions - facts that cannot be disputed
synthetic statements need proof they are true - statements about existence are synthetic
example ‘god exists’ is a synthetic statement and needs to be verified
therefore the statement ‘god is omnipotent’ is necessary for the existence of God

Question 31

descartes definition of god

Answer 31

God is the supremely perfect being

Question 32

descartes on existence is a predicate and therefore god must exist

Answer 32

to be supremely perfect, something must exist
existence is part of the perfection of God which cannot lack (predicate)
therefore God must exist

Question 33

descartes triangle

Answer 33

a triangle has three sides - truth of mathematics
this is necessary existence
just as Gods existence is necessary

Question 34

russells argument against anselm

Answer 34

existence is not a predicate. if it was:
eg men exist
santa is a man
therefore santa exists
this is wrong therefore existence is not a predicate