What are the weaknesses of the ontological argument?
The main weakness of Anselm’s argument is posed by Gaunilo of Marmoutier, a contemporary of Anselm, Gaunilo posed, using reductio ad absurdum, that if the logic of the argument were applied to anything other than God, its conclusion would be unreasonable.
What was the main argument of the ontological argument for the existence of God?
As an “a priori” argument, the Ontological Argument tries to “prove” the existence of God by establishing the necessity of God’s existence through an explanation of the concept of existence or necessary being.
Why does Anselm’s ontological argument fail?
He argued that many theists would accept that God, by nature, cannot be fully comprehended. Therefore, if humans cannot fully conceive of God, the ontological argument cannot work. For that reason, Anselm dismissed any argument that did not relate to a being with necessary existence.
Does the ontological argument fail?
In the end, the Ontological Argument fails as a proof for the existence of God when careful attention is paid to the cognitive terms that it employs. When the terms are disambiguated, either nothing philosophically interesting follows or nothing follows at all.
How successful is the ontological argument?
If the believer accepts that God exists then the Ontological argument may be valid as an alternative way of confirming faith. There is no real evidence to show God’s existence and some statements are poor (such as existence being predicate). Therefore the Ontological Argument is unsuccessful in proving God’s existence.
Who made ontological argument?
St. Anselm
ontological argument, Argument that proceeds from the idea of God to the reality of God. It was first clearly formulated by St. Anselm in his Proslogion (1077–78); a later famous version is given by René Descartes.
What is Anselm’s ontological argument for the existence of God quizlet?
ANSELM – THE ONTOLOGICAL ARGUMENT: What is the argument? 1) God is GREATER than anything anyone could ever CONCIEVE of. 2) Even the FOOL KNOWS in his heart that this is the defintion of God. 3) Therefore, God exists in the UNDERSTANDING.
How does Descartes ontological argument differ from Anselm’s?
Despite similarities, Descartes’ version of the argument differs from Anselm’s in important ways. The latter’s version is thought to proceed from the meaning of the word “God,” by definition, God is a being a greater than which cannot be conceived. The analogy underscores once again the argument’s supreme simplicity.
What’s wrong with Anselm’s ontological argument?
He argued that many theists would accept that God, by nature, cannot be fully comprehended. Therefore, if humans cannot fully conceive of God, the ontological argument cannot work. Anselm responded to Gaunilo’s criticism by arguing that the argument applied only to concepts with necessary existence.
What did Anselm believe about proving God’s existence?
What did Anselm believe about proving God’s existence? You could do it using just the concept of God as the greatest being conceivable. St. Thomas Aquinas’s first three ways are all versions of which sort of argument?
Who came up with the ontological argument?
What does Anselm’s ontological argument say?
The first, and best-known, ontological argument was proposed by St. St. Anselm reasoned that, if such a being fails to exist, then a greater being—namely, a being than which no greater can be conceived, and which exists—can be conceived.
What is the ontological argument?
An ontological argument is a philosophical argument for the existence of God that uses ontology. Many arguments fall under the category of the ontological, and they tend to involve arguments about the state of being or existing.
Is the ontological argument valid?
The ontological argument is clearly logically valid—that is to say, the conclusion necessarily follows provided that Premises 1 to 5 are true. The crucial Premise, therefore, is Premise 3, namely, that it is possible that a maximally great being exists.
Who created the ontological argument?
Although a version of the ontological argument appears explicitly in the writings of the ancient Greek philosopher Xenophanes and variations appear in writings by Parmenides , Plato, and the Neoplatonists , the mainstream view is that the ontological argument was first clearly stated and developed by Anselm of Canterbury.
Is there scientific proof of God?
Secular media and education want you to believe there is no scientific proof of God. But the reality is science provides a lot of evidence for the existence of God.