Chapter 27 A Priori Arguments for Gods Existence

Reason and Religion • Two things commend our attention to arguments for God’s existence:

The Ontological Argument • Anselm constructs an argument for God’s existence based on an

St. Anselm: Proslogion • Anselm was a believer, but he sought a single argument

The Ontological Argument in Recent Thought • In the formulations of the ontological argument

Existence is Not a Quality • Existence is not a perfection (or a quality

The Ontological Argument’s Ongoing Relevance • The ontological argument is still debated by respectable

Contingent and Necessary Existence • The possibility of its non-existence • Contingent Existence –

Spinoza and the Inexplicability of God’s Non-existence • Baruch Spinoza believed that the ultimate

The Coherence of the Idea of an Infinitely Perfect Being • Spinoza’s argument on

Slides: 10

Download presentation

Chapter 27 A Priori Arguments for God’s Existence

Reason and Religion • Two things commend our attention to arguments for God’s existence: – Rather than to evidence for God’s existence from religious experience • Arguments are public • The religious heritage of the West has always given an important place to reason © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Ontological Argument • Anselm constructs an argument for God’s existence based on an analysis of: – The concept of God, or we could say on an ontological analysis of the concept of God • What do we mean when we use the term God? © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

St. Anselm: Proslogion • Anselm was a believer, but he sought a single argument for God’s existence that: – Would not depend upon sacred scripture or upon the faith commitments of the believer • Chapter III • Chapter IV © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Ontological Argument in Recent Thought • In the formulations of the ontological argument by both Descartes and Anselm: – The assumption is made that existence is a perfection – Assume that existence is a quality that adds something to the concept of a thing © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Existence is Not a Quality • Existence is not a perfection (or a quality or real predicate) that can be added to a: – Concept to change the concept in any way • All existence statements are a posteriori and synthetic • Ontological argument attempts to argue for God’s existence completely a priori © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Ontological Argument’s Ongoing Relevance • The ontological argument is still debated by respectable philosophers • The difference between two forms of the argument centers on: – The kind of existence attributed to God • The existence of a being • God as existing necessarily © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Contingent and Necessary Existence • The possibility of its non-existence • Contingent Existence – Non-existence is possible; dependent; not a quality of perfection • Necessary Existence – Non-existence is impossible; independent; is a perfection © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Spinoza and the Inexplicability of God’s Non-existence • Baruch Spinoza believed that the ultimate nature of reality could be known on the: – Basis of concepts & principles neither derived from nor grounded in sensory experience • Explanations for a thing’s non-existence • Neither external/internal reasons could possibly explain God’s non-existence © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Coherence of the Idea of an Infinitely Perfect Being • Spinoza’s argument on this point might be thought guilty of begging the question • Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz – Showing that the idea of God was not similarly inconsistent was crucial to the success of: • A priori attempts to prove God’s existence © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.