Defining God’s Existence
opinion Essay
1071 words
There are two types of arguments to approach the existence of God. A posteriori argument is defining things based on the premises of what is true by our own experiences. This is the idea that we cannot know what is true unless we have experienced it using our five senses of sight, smell, hearing, touch, etc. This type of truth according to the book Core Questions in Philosophy written by Elliot Sober, is a posteriori truth, which is “one that requires experience to be known (or justified)”(84).
A priori argument is a conclusion based on the understanding of the concept, not through prior or innate experience. One can claim their preposition is a priori even if they have no innate knowledge or experience of the subject, as long as they understand the concept. This approach takes no observation or experience into account, just the definition given to the subject. (Sober 85)
Originally formulated by Saint Anslem, the Ontological Argument is defined as
(1) God is by definition the greatest being possible. (2) A being who fails to exist in the actual world (while existing in other possible worlds) is less perfect than a being who exists in all possible worlds. (Core Questions in Philosophy, 86) The basis of the Ontological Argument “often do not deal directly with perfect beings, beings than which no greater can be conceived, etc.; rather, they deal with descriptions of, or ideas of, or concepts of, or the possibility of the existence of, these things” (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Meaning, this argument states what God is and then asks if he exists.
Sober states that “the Ontological Argument for the existence of God is a priori argument”(85). And one can establish the truth of theism without posteriori premise. Thi...
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... proof of his existence can be through miracles or signs of God in our life. The way we can reason our argument of God existing is through things like near death experiences where we might see or hear God, and affirm he is real. Because not everyone has those experiences, we can only reason God’s existence based on the definitions by scholars or individual experiences that only ones self can deem valid. That is why I believe the argument of God’s existence must be done individually based on one’s own experience and should not be generalized by one concept or argument.
Works Cited
Oppy, G. 2009. “Ontological Arguments”. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2009 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.),
Sober, E. 2009. Core Questions in Philosophy. Prentice Hall. Chapter 8.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that there are two types of arguments to approach the existence of god. a posteriori argument is defining things based on the premises of what is true by our own experiences.
- Explains that the a priori argument is based on the understanding of the concept, not through prior or innate experience. it takes no observation or experience into account, just the definition given to the subject.
- Explains the ontological argument, which states what god is and then asks if he exists.
- Explains sober's ontological argument for the existence of god is a priori argument, stating that one can establish the truth of theism without posteriori premise.
- Explains anslem's second argument that because god is the epitome of perfection, his existence does not depend on conditional things.
- Explains gaunilo's counter-argument that a perfect island cannot be defined based on the definition that it is. he views the existence of god in the same way.
- Explains gaunilo's view that the ontological argument of the existence of god is invalid. he believes that if there is no posterori argument to prove a truth, then it is valid.
- Explains that religions use references such as the bible, torah, and q'uran to prove god's existence. the onotological argument results in questions about whether the resulting arguments can possibly be valid.
- Argues that defining god's existence is ultimately unreliable because we cannot truly know if he exists without witnessing him.
- Opines that the existence of god can be established through reason, but it is not valid because something is deemed valid by its actual existence.
- Opines that the argument of god's existence must be done individually based on one’s own experience and not generalized by one concept.
Related
- explanatory
- argumentative
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- The Ontological Theories To Why God Exist?explanatory essayThere are many theories to why a God might exist, but the Ontological argument tells us that a God is a necessary truth based on the self-contradictory or denying the existence of God. They use the proposition of the concept of God to argue the implied existence of God. This is to suppose that God is by definition the greatest thing imaginable and that to imagine something greater which can also exist is impossible. They use the general rule of positive and negative existential claims to try and prove the existence of God. they do this in a number of ways, with the classic version of the ontological argument being the most recognized, the reductio ad absurdum ("reduction of absurdity") of the ontological argument and the modal versions of the argument. It explains that nothing can exist in the imagination alone, it must also exist in reality to truly exist, and they have decided that there has to be such a being that exists in the imagination and in reality that noting greater can exist. I do not find this argument to be true in stating the fact that God must exist in reality, al...
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the ontological argument argues that god is a necessary truth based on the self-contradictory or denying the existence of god.
- Explains that they can prove the existence of god by looking back at the meaning of the word, arguing that god exists as an imagination and in reality.
- Explains the reductio ad absurdum, which states that god is the most powerful being and exists in both reality and the understanding.
557 wordsRead More - The Existence of Godargumentative essayIn the article of Existence of God, the article describes the distinction between existence and essence on weather or not God exists or ever existed. The argument resembles more on cosmological arguments of Thomas Aquinas, then the ontological argument of Anselm. The argument persuades the existence of God can be separated from the essence of God, but the argument goes on to argue if God exists or never existed. The argument clearly states that God exists by giving examples, such mountains and valleys, which cannot in anyway be separated from the other. In order for the something to work there has to be purpose behind certain being or thing that works as the purpose of those actions. I agree with the points that this argument is making that everything has purpose behind the action that are happening around us or even besides us. Imagination of a horse with wings, I can as well imagine that, but I cannot prove that a horse that I seen has wings and can fly, but with the existence of God I surely can prove that everything that happened had a purpose for them to happen, and that the prove of God, such as the evolution, living species that appeared on this planet that was once not habitable with had no oxygen, neither atmosphere for living species to survive. There is no proof of how these species appeared, but there is one being that did all of this, and it was mighty God that we all think about, and talk about everyday in our lives. I can imagine a horse with wings, but I cannot prove it that it really has wings; I have the power to imagine. But with the existence of God I can because everything that was created has purpose behind them, and that is exactly the evolution.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the article of existence of god describes the distinction between existence and essence on weather or not god exists or ever existed.
- Compares the cosmological arguments of thomas aquinas and anselm's ontological arguments for the existence of god.
- Explains that the cosmological argument of thomas aquinas makes more sense by stating that mountains and valleys cannot be separated because they have purpose behind them.
- Explains that if we get any objection against this version of existence of god, there is a way to overcome these arguments.
- Analyzes how thomas aquinas' article on the existence of god proves the cosmological arguments of thomas.
1265 wordsRead More - A Philoshpical Approach to Proving the Existence of Godanalytical essayThe question of God’s existence has been debated through the history of man, with every philosopher from Socrates to Immanuel Kant weighing in on the debate. So great has this topic become that numerous proofs have been invented and utilized to prove or disprove God’s existence. Yet no answer still has been reached, leaving me to wonder if any answer at all is possible. So I will try in this paper to see if it is possible to philosophically prove God’s existence.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the question of god's existence has been debated through the history of man, with philosophers from socrates to immanuel kant weighing in on the debate.
- Explains the difference between philosophy of religion and theology. revealed and natural theology use human reasoning to explain the divine.
- Explains the teleological argument, or the argument from design, which starts by saying that the universe exhibits some type of purpose or order, and draws the conclusion that a supreme, intelligent being must be responsible for this order.
- Analyzes how richard dawkin claims that the critics of evolution have misunderstood the concept of cumulative selection.
- Argues that kant's argument that existence is a characteristic is the same as the ontological.
- Analyzes how bertrand russell's critique of the argument does it the most damage. he believes that the contingency argument rests on a misconception of what an explanation is and does.
- Explains that emil fackenheim's views are derived from certain ideas of the jewish philosopher martin buber.
- Analyzes the ontological argument, which argues from a definition of god’s being to his existence.
- Analyzes how paley concludes the watch analogy with the assumption that no intelligent person would assume that the pieces were just a random combination of nature.
- Analyzes saint thomas aquinas' argument about the existence of the universe to god as its cause, creator, or explanation.
- Analyzes how locke tries to counter this by saying that anyone who denies the conclusion of an eternal being is committed to the absurdity that things came into existence from nothing
- Explains that critics of the causal argument are committed to the idea that no matter how far back one goes in a causal series one will never find something without beginning.
- Argues that biblical faith is empirically verifiable and nothing can refute it. fackenheim is misled by the ambiguity of certain statements, such as "destroy" and "test".
4011 wordsRead More - Is it Rational to Believe in God?opinion essayWhether god exists or not has been in discussion for thousands of years, and an important discussion. Whether it is rational to believe in god or not is another story, like believing in god itself, this topic has brought many discussions. It is one thing to discuss whether god is real or not and it is a complete other to discuss whether it is rational to believe in god or not. I believe that while there may not be any convincing evidence or arguments that God does exist, I do still believe that it is still rational to believe that god does exist. I think this because, believing in God is not simply just believing that he exists, but believing that it can bring good to our lives, we otherwise would not have. It teaches us to have a moral responsibility not only to others, but ourselves. It is obvious that many people do believe in god, but many of us choose to do so for reasons other than just believing in God. I do believe that just because there is no evidence, that does not mean God doesn’t exist. Like I said, God brings more to our lives than just a belief, but an ability to achieve a better one. And even if God is just an imaginary figure, he is an imaginary figure that brings hope and goodness to our lives, which we can never discount.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that believing in god is not just believing that he exists, but believing it can bring good to our lives.
- Opines that people do not believe in god, just because they believe that god exists, but because it gives them something that others cannot.
- Opines that many people turn to the bible to prove god's existence, but it doesn't necessarily make them true.
- Explains the argument from change, which states that everything in motion is moved by something else. if there were an infinite series of causes, there would be no secondary or intermediate causes.
- Opines that believing in god brings good things to people in the worst of times, like hope and faith of better times. while it's impossible to know if god exists or not, it is rational to believe in god.
874 wordsRead More - Descartes' Meditationsanalytical essayThe ontological argument for God also has merits that are invalid. One such is a point made by Kant, that the second portion of Descartes' proof is inaccurate because existence is not necessarily a property, as Descartes uses it as (Thomson 30). Another philosopher, Gassendi, said in his work Objections, "something which does not exist is neither perfect nor imperfect" (qtd Thomson 30). This would imply that existence is not perfection and God needn't exist.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that descartes' meditations are created in pursuit of certainty, or true knowledge. he cannot assume that what he has learned is necessarily true.
- Analyzes how descartes determines that god exists and creates his first argument for this idea in the third meditation.
- Analyzes how descartes refutes the idea of infinite regression by assuming everything must have a cause, known as the principal of sufficient reason.
- Analyzes how descartes claims that god is the cause of his idea of god, since he is an imperfect being and cannot think of an infinite substance or a perfect substance.
- Explains that descartes' first argument for the existence of god can be summarized as follows: 1)i have an idea of a perfect being 2)there are two forms existence- contingent and necessary 3)necessary existence has greater reality than contingent 4)
- Analyzes how descartes purports his ontological argument for the existence of god in the fifth mediation, based on god's essence.
- Explains that descartes' second argument for the existence of god is that god has all perfections. his proofs have some errors, or shortcomings, that have been pointed out over time.
- Opines that the only remaining thoughts where they must be on their guard against making a mistake are judgments.
- Explains that descartes formed an idea of god as an infinitely good being. he would have had to discover this idea within his own mind.
- Analyzes how descartes uses his powers of reason without first proving that they are beyond doubt. the validity of his reasoning is supposed to flow as a consequence of the infinite perfection of god.
- Analyzes how descartes' reasoning of god's existence hinges on his use of 3 principals: the principal of contradiction, adequate reality, and sufficient reason.
- Opines that descartes' first proof is difficult to relay abstract ideas without language, but it is a human idea that he has learned and needs to doubt, according to his specifications.
- Analyzes how 's use of a heat analogy to explain his principal of adequate reality is inappropriate, as it uses material that he doubts.
- Analyzes how descartes' critique of god is his claim that the idea of multiple gods is innate. he doesn't recognize the fact that many cultures would consider multiple gods to be ininnate, nor gives credence to the possibility that a sense of wonder is
- Argues that the ontological argument for god also has merits that are invalid. descartes' proof is inaccurate because existence is not necessarily a property.
1022 wordsRead More - Analysis Of Anselm's Ontological Argumentargumentative essayAs before, the argument includes a premise asserting that God is a being than which a greater cannot be conceived. But this version of the argument, unlike the first, does not rely on the claim that existence is a perfection, instead it relies on the claim that necessary existence is a perfection. This latter claim asserts that a being whose existence is necessary is greater than a being whose existence is not necessary. Otherwise put, then the second key claim is that a being whose non-existence is logically impossible is greater than a being whose non-existence is logically possible. By definition, God is a being than which none greater can be imagined. A being that necessarily exists in reality is greater than a being that does not necessarily
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the ontological argument is a unique argument among arguments in that it appears to establish the real existence of some being.
- Explains that god is a being greater than which is not possible. x exists on reality, and in the mind.
- Compares gaunilo's ‘lost island’ argument with anselm’s strategy to conclude the existence of a perfect island.
- Explains that anselm's second version of the ontological argument relies on two important claims.
- Analyzes how aquinas argued that not everyone who hears the word 'god' understands it to signify something than which nothing greater can be thought.
- Explains that if god exists as an idea in the mind but does not necessarily exist in reality, then we can imagine something that is greater than god. however, anselm's second version of the argument isn't very convincing.
721 wordsRead More - Beliefs And Concept Of God In Islamexplanatory essayGod’s existence does not require proof by scientific, mathematical, or philosophical arguments. His existence is not a ‘discovery’ to be made by the scientific method or a mathematical theorem to be proven. Simply said, mere common sense bears witness to God’s
In this essay, the author
- Explains that muslims believe that there is one god, allah, and that this oneness is central to their spirituality.
- Explains that the most important belief about allah (god) in islam is the concept of tawhid, which means ‘oneness.
- Explains that western philosophers, eastern mystics, as well as today’s scientists attempt to reach god in their own way.
- Explains that on earth there are signs of god's existence, visible to all who are endowed with inner certainty.
- Explains that god's existence does not require proof by scientific, mathematical, or philosophical arguments. his existence is not a ‘discovery’ to be made by the scientific method.
- Explains that the belief in tawhid forms the central part of the shahadah, the declaration of faith, which is first among the five pillars of islam.
- Explains that the testimony to this belief, called tawhid, is the axis around which all islam revolves.
- Explains that the correct way of finding god is through the preserved teachings of the prophets.
735 wordsRead More - Arguments for the Existence for Godanalytical essay1. The Cosmological Argument for the existence of God is based on the principle of cause and effect. What this basically means is that the universe was the effect of a cause, which was God. One of the oldest and most well known advocates of the Cosmological Argument was Thomas Aquinas who outlines his argument for the existence of God in his article entitled The Five Ways. The first way in his argument is deals with motion. Aquinas says that in order for something to be in motion something had to move it because it is impossible for something to move without the presence of some sort of outside force upon it. Therefore the world around us, nature, and our very existence could not have been put into motion without the influence of the “unmoved mover”, as it is called in the book, who we know to be God.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the cosmological argument for the existence of god is based on the principle of cause and effect. thomas aquinas outlines his argument for god in his article entitled the five ways.
- Explains aquinas' second way to prove that god exists is by stating that nothing can be the cause of itself.
- Analyzes how aquinas bases the existence of god on the gradation of things. he proves god comes from the governance of the world.
- Explains that clarke and rowe are two of the later type. they believe that the universe is a series of events and that each of these events are dependent upon the event before it.
- Agrees with clarke's explanation of the cosmological argument, which takes aquinas' argument and folds it up and puts it in its pocket. it is much clearer for anyone to see and admit that everything in this world is connected and caused by previous events and decisions.
- Analyzes how st. anselm's presentation of the ontological argument argues that god is the greatest being and that none greater can be conceived.
- Analyzes how gaunilo criticizes anselm's presentation by using reductio ad absurdum. he believes that if someone tried to explain god to him, he would laugh in his face.
- Explains that kant believes that the ontological argument fails right off the bat by basing everything on the idea that god does exist. he questions how anselm proves this.
- Opines that the ontological argument is a weak argument. they would choose between anselm or gaunilo and kant because they do better arguing their point.
1197 wordsRead More - Does God Actually Exist? Descartes and his Fifth Meditationanalytical essayThe very perception of an absolute perfect being means God has to be in existence, this is the usual ontological, or a priori, argument. St. Anselm was the first person to articulate this argument in the 10th century and argued that because of the idea that people have of an absolute perfect being, which he defined as "that than which nothing greater can be conceived" , it ought to exist. Pros logion, one of St. Anselm’s essays he interpreted God as an actuality who retains all possible perfection. But if this existence "existed" simply as an idea in our cognizance, then it wouldn’t be as perfect as, if it actually existed, something that would thus oppose our classification of God, a being who is thought to be absolutely perfect. Therefore, God must exist. Gaunilo of Marmoutiers tore apart Anselm's idea by requesting people to perceive an island "more excellent" than any other island, enlightening the faults in this kind of argumentation. This type of a priori argument i.e. pure deduction is wholly imperfect, often superfluous, and completely fails to take empirical proof ...
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the question of god's existence has beleaguered humankind from the time they began to think logically. there are only a few fragments of history left to study whether or not god exists.
- Explains st. anselm's a priori argument that god must exist. gaunilo of marmoutiers enlightens the faults in this type of argumentation.
- Explains that the design argument, or teleological argument, proposes that we live in a universe that assuredly had to be premeditated.
- Explains the cosmological argument from contingency, which is a different take on the first-cause argument.
- Argues that the oddness of awareness, and our inability to understand it, has given rise to the idea of material dichotomy, also recognized as cartesian dualism.
1034 wordsRead More - Analyze and Discuss St. Anselm’s Ontological Argumentanalytical essayMany theologies take/ give the existence of God a lot of importance due to their beliefs, and faith. However, some philosophers and theologians thought it is important that to demonstrate the existence of God to those who says that there is no God. The St. Anselm’s ontological Argument is a priori argument for the Existence of God. Anselm’s Ontological Argument had been known as the first Ontological Argument which had been proposed in 1078 by Anselm of Canterbury in his book Proslogion. Although Anselm didn’t gave his Ontological Argument a name immediately; however, the name Proslogium was given several centuries later by Kant. Anselm as a philosopher his aim on his ontological Argument is to refute the fools who say or who don’t believe in their heart there is a God. Anselm’s purposes on his argument are to prove that God’s exits by using philosophical logic and reason.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that st. anselm's ontological argument is a priori argument for the existence of god.
- Analyzes how anselm's ontological argues that whoever understands what it means to talk about god, will see is necessarily true that god’s exist.
- Analyzes anselm's argument that god is perfect and greater than any other thing that ever exists. he argues that "existing" is a predicate defining the subject of god.
- Analyzes how anselm's ontological focuses on the nature of god rather than his definition.
- Analyzes how anselm's argument was criticisms by his contemporaries, gaunilo, who believed in god, and illustrates his point by using an example of a perfect island.
- Analyzes how anselm's ontological argument is inapplicable to other contingent objects, since the island relies on the sea and the earth.
- Analyzes how anselm's argument shows that the combination between the perfect islands and the existence of god is unstable.
1017 wordsRead More