Anselm's Existence of God Refuted

1125 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Anselm proslog essay on the existance of god

Anselm's Existence of God Refuted

Anselm's Existence of God Refuted

If the only proofs for the existence of God were Aquinas’s five ways and Anselm’s ontological argument, in my opinion, Anselm provides the best reasoning. I am not saying that Anselm’s argument is good, or even valid, but just that given the set of proofs by Aquinas and Anselm, Anselm’s is better.

Anselm argues, in effect, that the existence of God is built into the very concept of God. He proceeds by a form of argument called reductio ad absurdum -- reduction to absurdity. He attempts to show that the position of the fool -- the non-believer who has said in his heart, "There is no God" -- is incoherent and leads to absurdity. (Cottingham, 1996: 246)

How does Anselm's reductio work? A fully satisfactory answer to this question is not exactly simple. The idea appears to be this: The argument depends on a definition of sorts. Anselm says of God: “We believe that you are something than which nothing greater can be thought.” (Cottingham, 1996: 246) We can put this in shorthand by saying that Anselm understands God to be the greatest conceivable being -- the GCB, for short

Now you might protest that you do not use the word "God" in this way. Nevertheless, that does not really matter. If Anselm can show that such a being exists, then he has shown something remarkable whatever you call the being. Furthermore, it is not clear why anyone should resist calling such a being God.

Now another worry may occur to you: conceivable by whom?

The answer is conceivable by anyone, no matter how imaginative or brilliant. In fact, what Anselm really seems to be after is the greatest possible being, though he proceeds in terms of what we can or do conceive.

The atheist...

... middle of paper ...

...elieve that Anselm would argue that there could not be two gods. For if there were, then it would be possible to use the same argument to prove that there are an infinite number of gods. Anselm would attack this argument at premise two. Because if God were the greatest that could be conceived, then it would be impossible to conceive of anything greater. Since two gods is greater that one God, then even if it was impossible to conceive of two gods, it would be no greater than conceiving of one God. I will actually agree with Anselm on this argument, given his definition of God. Since he defines his notion of God to be that which a greater could not exist, it is impossible to prove that something greater exists, just by his definition of God.

Bibliography:

Cottingham, John. (1996).Western Philosophy: An Anthropology. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell.

Show More
Related

  • Aquinas versus Anselm

    908 Words  | 2 Pages

    Examining the two works against each other as if it were a debate makes it a bit clearer to compare. Aquinas, reveals his argument under the groundwork that there are essentially two methods of understanding the truth. One being that it can be surmised through reason an logic, and the other being via inner faith. On the surface at this point it could be argued that this ontological determination a bit less convoluted than Anselm, yet I tend to think it could be a bit more confusing. This is what leads him to the claim that the existence of God can be proven by reason alone or “a priori”. Stemming from this belief he formulated his Five Proofs or what he called the “Quinquae Viae”. The first of which is fairly simple based on the fact that something in motion had to have been moved. Agreeing that something set it in motion therefor there must have been a...

    Read More

  • Anselm's Ontological Argument Essay

    794 Words  | 2 Pages

    Anselm’s argument can be summarized as, “1. God does not exist. (assumption) 2. By “God,” I mean that, than which no greater can be conceived (NGC). 3. So NGC does not exist. (from 1 and 2) 4. So NGC has being only in my understanding, not also in reality. (from 2 and 3) 5. If NGC were to exist in reality, as well as in my understanding, it would be greater. (from the meaning of “greater”) 6. But then, NGC is not NGC. (from 4 and 5) 7. So, NGC cannot exist only in my understanding. (from 6) 8. So NGC must exist also in reality. (from 5 and 7) 9. So God exists. (from 2 and 8) 10. So God does not exist and God exists. (from 1 to 9) 11. So Premise 1 cannot be true. (by 1 through 10 and the principle of reduction ad absurdum) 12. So God exists. (from 11)” (262). This quote demonstrates how Anselms ontological proof is “God is that, than which no greater can be conceived” in understanding and reality by stating that a contradiction would be made if God didn’t exist in both (262). Aquinas cosmological proof stated that the existence of God could be confirmed in five ways, The Argument- “from Change”, “Efficient Causality”,

    Read More

  • A Philoshpical Approach to Proving the Existence of God

    4011 Words  | 9 Pages

    The Ontological Argument, which argues from a definition of God’s being to his existence, is the first type of argument we are going to examine. Since this argument was founded by Saint Anslem, we will be examining his writings. Saint Anslem starts by defining God as an all-perfect being, or rather as a being containing all conceivable perfections. Now if in addition of possessing all conceivable perfections t...

    Read More

  • Anselm's Omnipotence

    1231 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the Proslogion, Anselm tries to prove the existence of God and his powers through the ontological argument. This argument redirects the argument of God’s existence from science and observation to logic, where Anselm explains that there has to be a being that nothing greater can be thought of, and that is God. One of Anselm’s main topics of contention is God’s omnipotence and whether He is actually infinite. In the Proslogion, Anselm talks about God’s omnipotence and if it can be disavowed because of self-contradictory statements, how God’s non-action gives him more possibility and power, and how being all-powerful can lead to God being both merciful and yet not feel the pains of sinners.

    Read More

  • Comparing Anselm's Reply To Gaunilo

    534 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are often many mixed views when discussing God’s existence. In Anselm’s works “The Proslogion” and “Anselm’s Reply to Gaunilo” and Gaunilo’s work the “Reply on Behalf of the Fool”, both of their philosophies on the matter are imparted. Anselm’s logic regarding God is correct as he sustains his argument even when it confronted with criticisms and it is comprehensible.

    Read More

  • Rene Descartes' Meditations on First Philosophy

    1961 Words  | 4 Pages

    Descartes second argument for proving God’s existence is very straightforward. He has four possibilities that created his existence. Through process of elimination he is left with God being his creator.

    Read More

  • St. Anselm's Ontological Argument

    959 Words  | 2 Pages

    Another way that St. Anselm's argument differs from other arguments is that it requires that you look at a definition of the concept of God. As Sober says, the definition of an object does not, in itself, prove its existence. Some examples he gives are unicorns and golden...

    Read More

  • Response To Gaunilo's Argument

    395 Words  | 1 Pages

    To understand Gaunilo’s objection to Anselm’s argument of God’s existence it is important to first understand Anselm’s argument. Anselm contends that the existence of God is shown easily in the very definition of God. He defines God in The Longman Standard History of Philosophy as the greatest conceivable being, “a greater than which cannot be conceived” (p. 309). Anselm continues with the argument that “existence is greater than nonexistence” (p.309) and if God is the “greatest” than he must exist. With this statement Anselm says that if you do not believe that God exists, you are saying that “a being that cannot be conceived as anything other than existing does not exist” (p.309) which is self-contradictory. With this definition, according

    Read More

  • The Ontological Argument for the Existence of God

    1544 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the words of Anselm, "Therefore, Lord, not only are You that than which nothing greater can be conceived but you are also something greater than can be conceived. Indeed, since it is possible to be conceived to be something of this kind, if you are not this very thing, something can be conceived greater than You, which cannot be done. " Anselm suggested a proof for God's existence, however, for God to be God there must be more to Him than that He simply 'exists'.

    Read More

  • A Comparison Of Saint Anselm On Cosmological Argument

    312 Words  | 1 Pages

    This assignment is regarding the Philosophers Saint Anselm on Ontological argument and Saint Thomas Aquinas on Cosmological argument in the thirteenth century. Therefore, I will be researching their arguments consisting of our course book and the internet to find their similarities and differences in their views on God’s existence. I will express my feeling and views on both the philosophers the best possible way that I can. It has been a challenge for me trying to understand each of their views on demonstrating God’s existence.

    Read More

  • Explain The Three Proofs Of St. Thomas Aquinas

    780 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Medieval philosopher, St. Thomas Aquinas, argued against non-specific atheists that the existence of God, or a god, could be proven with natural reason. The most important arguments of Aquinas which supported the concept of a higher power are in his first three proofs: the arguments of motion, efficient cause, and necessary being. These proofs were based on the premise that God acted on potential objects and actual objects, and that to understand the existence of God, one would need to examine the effects that God had on the world. Aquinas’ belief that God can be indirectly observed is important in how he uses the human senses as the means for understanding the effects of God, which had previously been doubted for viability in searching for a universal truth.

    Read More

  • St. Anselm's Argument For The Existence Of God

    705 Words  | 2 Pages

    Anselm based his argument on the assumption that everything in our world exists but does not necessarily have to. In other words, we can just conceive them as not existing in the first place, since we do not need them to be real. However, Anselm’s argument does not apply to the existence of the Ultimate Reality, which is also

    Read More

  • Ontological Argument Analysis

    884 Words  | 2 Pages

    For example we know there is air, we can’t see air but it’s there and we believe it’s there, same applies when we talk about the existence of God. Does it validate God existence simply because we can’t see God, it doesn’t so we would have to introduce more evidence to actually prove that God doesn’t exist. Anslem also introduces that if we as humans in our minds can understand something and think about it that concludes that, if can think about and understand God then God must exist; Because how can you understand and think about something that doesn't exist. That just means God does exist because if God didn't there would be no way we would think about or understand God in our minds, God just wouldn't be a conversation to begin with. In the words of philosopher Anselm “No one who understands what God is can possibly conceive that he doesn’t exist” so it’s a whole concept of whatever the human mind can grasp, it is in existence. Also if we can grasp the idea of God existing, we can also as humans grasp the idea of God conceive human life. There is nothing

    Read More

  • St. Thomas Aquinas’ First Two Ways in Proving the Existence of God

    5036 Words  | 11 Pages

    It is my view that God exists, and I think that Aquinas’ first two ways presents a

    Read More

  • An Argument for the Existence of God

    2339 Words  | 5 Pages

    God can be defined as a being conceived as the perfect, omnipotent, omniscient originator and ruler of the universe, the principal object of faith and worship in monotheistic religions (1). There are many people that do not believe in any religion. People who do not believe in a religion have no reason for believing in a God. People who do not believe in a God and argue against the existence of God are proving something that is completely false. There is a God for numerous reasons.

    Read More

More about Anselm's Existence of God Refuted

Open Document