Ontological Argument

Description

An overview of Anselm's Ontological Argument.
Heloise Tudor
Mind Map by Heloise Tudor, updated more than 1 year ago
Heloise Tudor
Created by Heloise Tudor over 10 years ago
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Resource summary

Ontological Argument
  1. Ontological = concerned with being or existence
    1. Priori argument = made from reasoning, understanding
      1. Anselm (1033-1109) Archbishop of Canterbury 1093. Proslogion Chap 2-3
        1. Proves God's existence by definition
          1. 'God is that than which nothing greater can be conceived'
          2. Reductio ad absurdum = makes proof by showing the opposite can't be true
            1. Argument 1
              1. Athiests can define God even though they don't believe.
                1. Something that exists in reality is greater than something that exists in only thought.
                  1. If nothing is greater than God, He must exist in reality as well as in thought/definition.
                  2. Argument 2
                    1. It's impossible to conceive of God not existing. God is a necessary being - he can't not exist.
                      1. God can't be a contingent (depend on something else for existence) being as then he wouldn't be the greatest.
                        1. A necessary being is better than a contingent one.
                          1. God is greater than any conceivable thing, so he must be a necessary being and so must exist.
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