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Ontological Argument by Anselm - Coggle Diagram
Ontological Argument
by Anselm
The Argument
Premises 1
: God is
'a being than which nothing greater can be concieved'
Premises 2:
This is a definition even a fool can understand (atheist)
Premises 3:
There is a difference between having an idea in the mind and knowing that idea exists in reality
Premises 4
: A painter has an idea of what he wants to paint in his mind, when he paints it - the idea now exists in reailty
Premises 5:
It is greater to exist both in the mind and in reality than to only exist in the mind
Premises 6:
If God only existed in the mind, there would be something greater than God that existed in reality - and that is impossible
Conclusion
: In order to be the greatest concievable being God must exist in mind and in reality
God's existence is
priori
(a logical deduction) and is
deductive
(meaning where the premises are true, the conculsion must be true)
God's existence is also a
necessary truth
, a proposition that can not be false.
Criticisms
by Gaunilo 'on behalf of the fool'
Gaunilo
imitates Anselms argument by giving the example of a perfect lost island.
Premises 1
: it is possible to think of a perfect lost island
Premises 2:
it is greater to exist in reality than only in the mind
Conclusion
: a perfect and lost island must exist in reality, but this is impossible as it can not exist!
Anselms Response to Gaunilo
Premises 1:
to be perfect, an island would have to be that island where nothing greater can be concieved
Premises 2:
an island where no greater can be concieved must exist necessarily, since a contingent island would be less perfect than the one before it
Premises 3:
but islands are contingent so can not exist necessarily as their existence depends on volcanic activity
Conclusion
: the argument related to a perfect lost island does not relate to God