Ontological Argument Essay

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One of the most important and commonly debated questions throughout history is whether a god exists. The answer to the question is one that is simple. Either a god exists or one does not exist. The existence of a god is a topic that philosophers have written about for ages, and will continue to write about. Two of the most well-known arguments for the existence of a god are; the Ontological Argument by St. Anselm and the Cosmological Argument by Thomas Aquinas. Each of the two arguments maintains a certain level of strength but nonetheless each has their weaknesses. The Ontological Argument, which is contained within Anselm’s Proslogion, begins with an assumption that is widely accepted by theists and atheists. The Ontological Argument brings …show more content…

One example is how Anselm believes that it is better for something to exist in both reality and understanding than purely understanding. This is true for many situations, but there are some occasions where having something not exist in reality is better, for example, cancer. Imagine if cancerous cells were only a figment of the mind that was understood by all, but yet there were no such thing as cancerous cells in reality. However, all will agree that the best thing thinkable or a god would be better in both understanding and reality. If a god is the best thing thinkable it must exist in both reality and understanding because if it were to only exist in understanding it would not be the best thing thinkable. If a god were to not exist at all then the concept would not exist in understanding but it does. Therefore, a god exists in both understanding and reality. Anselm’s Ontological Argument does not necessarily prove the existence of a god, but it does, in fact, prove the existence of the best thing thinkable, which is commonly agreed to be

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