argument, ontological

argument, ontological
   The ontological argument, classically formulated by Anselm of Canterbury and later by Descartes, has been a bone of philosophical contention for nearly a millennium. One formulation of the argument, derived from Anselm, goes like this:
   1. The concept of God is, by definition, the concept of a being than which nothing greater can be conceived.
   2. God certainly exists in the mind: even atheists have this concept of God.
   3. It is greater to exist in reality than in the mind alone.
   4. Suppose, for a reductio ad absurdum, that God exists in the mind alone.
   5. Then there would be a concept of a greater being, namely, a concept of a being just like God but also existent in reality (by (3)).
   6. But there cannot be a concept of a greater being than God (by (1)).
   7. Therefore, our supposition in (4) was false.
   8. Therefore, God exists in reality as well as in the mind.
   Doubt has been cast on this argument at almost every turn: many have complained that the concept of God here employed is the concept of the 'God of the philosophers', but certainly not the concept of the 'God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob'; others have complained that, although atheists have a concept of God, there is no sense in which God 'exists in the mind'; Kant famously complained that one could not compare objects in respect of existence; and still others have tried to find a logical flaw in the argument's structure. Different versions of the argument have been propounded to try to circumvent these objections. Plantinga has devised a modal version of the argument that moves, using the system of modal logic S5, from the premise that it is possible that a necessary being exist, to the conclusion that it is necessary that a necessary being exist. Although Plantinga's argument is valid within his system, this has not stopped the debate; many object that we have no good reason to think it possible that a necessary being exist.
   Further reading: Barnes, Jonathan 1972; Hick and McGill 1967; Oppy 1995; Plantinga 1965 and 1974b

Christian Philosophy . . 2015.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • argument — /ahr gyeuh meuhnt/, n. 1. an oral disagreement; verbal opposition; contention; altercation: a violent argument. 2. a discussion involving differing points of view; debate: They were deeply involved in an argument about inflation. 3. a process of… …   Universalium

  • ontological argument —    see argument, ontological …   Christian Philosophy

  • ontological proof — ontological argument or ontological proof, the contention that since our idea of God is that of a perfect being and since existence is part of perfection, our idea of God is an idea of a necessarily existent being. This argument, used by Anselm… …   Useful english dictionary

  • ontological argument — n. Metaphysics an a priori argument for the existence of God, asserting that the conception of a perfect being implies that being s existence outside the human mind …   English World dictionary

  • ontological — argument …   Philosophy dictionary

  • ontological arguments — ontological argument …   Philosophy dictionary

  • Ontological Argument —    Argument for the existence of God first formulated by St Anselm and based on the idea of God’s necessary existence …   Who’s Who in Christianity

  • Ontological argument — The ontological argument for the existence of God (or simply ontological argument) is an a priori proof for the existence of God. The ontological argument was first proposed by the eleventh century monk Anselm of Canterbury, who defined God as… …   Wikipedia

  • Argument ontologique — L argument ontologique est un argument qui vise à prouver l existence de Dieu. Il est dit ontologique, car il appuie sa preuve sur la définition de ce qu est l être (ontos) de Dieu : il est dans l être de Dieu d exister. On considère… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Argument from love — The Argument from love is an argument for the existence of God, as against materialism and reductionist forms of physicalism.Outline of argumentThe deep relationship of theism in general, and Christianity in particular, and love goes back to the… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”