Priori Arguments Flashcards
(16 cards)
What is a priori argument?
Reasoning can be expressed through logical arguments not empirical evidence.
What is Psalm 14:1?
‘Fools say in their hearts there is no God’
What were Anselm’s three premises?
1.God is ‘greater than that which can be conceived’
2.God may exist either in the mind alone or in reality as well
3. Something which exists in reality and in the mind is greater than something which exists only in the mind
What did this conclude to?
God must exist in the reality and in the mind.
What did Anslem mean by saying ‘existence is a predicate’
> Anslem continued by arguing existence is a predicate.
A predicate is a description or attribute that tells us something about an object
we have an idea of God so he exists.
What is a ‘reductio ad absurdum’
An argument that reduces the opponents argument down to logic.
How did Anslem provide a ‘reductio ad absurdum’ to the atheist position.
To say that God only exists in the mind would create a contradiction in logic, as if you have an image of God in your mind he exists as ‘God is nothing that which greater can be conceived’.
How did Guanilo argue against existence being a predicate?
On ‘behalf of a fool’ Gunalio argued that;
> Gossip is something which can exist in the mind and not reality- by spreading misinformation you can trick a person into believing something in their mind which isn’t true in reality.
> You cannot demonstrate the existence of something by having an idea about it
> cannot prove a ‘de dicto’ to a de me’
What example did Guanilo use?
- to highlight the fact you cannot demonstrate the existence of something just by having an idea about it; Guanilo dreamt up an island which is perfect, with purple sand and money that grows on trees, this obviously does not exist and shows how Anslem’s logic is flawed just because something is perfect in the mind doesn’t make it a reality.
How did Anslem reply?
> Guanilo missed the point
God is a special case
he is the embodiment of perfect and cannot be improved upon unlike the island
God is the ‘intrinsic maximum’- Alvin Platinga.
What is Anslem’s second ontological argument?
> in Proslogian chapter three
God is not contingent like an island
contingent things can be thought of not existing.
God has necessary existence as it is greater to be necessary than a contingent being.
How does Kant challenge this?
> ‘being is evidently not a real predicate’
Kant’s objection is directed at premise three.
rejects it on grounds that existence is not a predicate.
Kant continued…
> Existence is not a predicate as a predicate must add to a subject. Existence fails to do this.
By saying God exists you are ‘merely positif or affirming the existence of a subject with all its predicates’.
What example does Descartes use to ontologically argue GodMs existence?
> Descartes and the triangle
Existence is a predicate of perfection
Just as the nature of a triangle is that is has three sides the nature of God’s existence is that he exists.
it is illogical to imagine God without the predicate of existence.
What does Russell conclude on the matter?
> existence is not a predicate
if it was then…
men exist
Santa is a man
Santa exists
he is pointing the illogical nature of existence being a predicate
it’s really quite witty.
