Anselm’s “ontological argument” of God’s existence Essay
Complete ONE of the two essay questions ONLY ONE
The expectation is that these are formal essays. That means an introduction, a main body, and a conclusion. General rule for the main body is that the number of paragraphs corresponds to the number of points being made.
(1) Discuss Anselm’s “ontological argument” of God’s existence and evaluate its philosophical strength. Do you find it convincing? What is the importance of Anselm’s “definition” of God as “that than which none greater can be thought” to his argument? Discuss the historical objections to the ontological argument and in what ways has the argument withstood these objections. Pay attention, in particular, to Norman Malcolm’s observation that there are actually two ontological arguments in Anselm’s “Proslogium”.
To answer this question: (1) First you must present Anselm's ontological argument (don't forget there are two versions of it); (2) Answer the questions about the importance of Anselm's definition of God (as GCB) and the historical objections to it (btw, Kant's is the most serious); (3) Do you find it convincing? That is, evaluate the argument's strength.
(2) Summarize Thomas Aquinas’ “Five Ways” of proving God’s existence. Thomas Aquinas concludes each of the ways with a statement that is something like “this thing whose existence I have proven is what we call God.” Might we call it something else; that is, might it be something else whose existence he has proven? Could he have proven the existence of multiple gods, or does his notion of God’s “pure act of being” (actus purus) preclude such a possibility? Consider Richard Swinburne’s view that the Five Ways are only strong when taken together as a single “grand argument” in your conclusions.
To answer this question: (1) You will need to summarize each of the Five Ways (that shouldn't be difficult to do, given the instructional materials provided); (2) Answer whether he might have proven the existence of something other than God; i.e. "lesser" intelligences (such as Aristotle postulated) or even multiple gods, or does God's "pure act of being" preclude this (hint: it does -- tell me why); (3) Are the Five Ways stronger when taken together, as a single grand argument, than they are when taken separately?
Anselm’s “ontological argument” of God’s existence
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Anselm’s “ontological argument” of God’s existence
Anselm’s “ontological argument” of God’s existence is based on two parts. His views are the most popular and first ontological argument. His idea about God’s existence is based on the notion that “being than which no greater can be conceived” (King-Farlow, 1982, p. 19). Anselm’s arguments have been convincing in answering the question of whether God exists.
In the first version, God is regarded as the ultimate being who cannot be conceived. This is a fact that exists that even a fool can comprehend in their mind even though no proof exists in reality. An example is a painter who thinks of an idea in mind (King-Farlow, 1982). Once he paints it, it becomes a reality. If God only exists in mind, then it is possible that he also exists in reality too. The second version suggests that God cannot be thought not to be a reality (Shults, 2017). He adds, “that than which none greater can be thought.” In other words, God is presented as the greatest conceivable being ...