Essay On Anselm's Ontological Argument
I can truly say that I have found Saint Anselm Ontological Argument to be very interesting and I was so fascinated by his life and the stand he took to prove his reasoning in his argument.
In fact Anselm’s most famous work is his attempt to prove the existence of God in the Proslogion (or discourse) known now as the “Ontological argument.” I also found it very interesting that Mr. Immanuel Kant, another great philosopher in my view said the ontological argument attempts to show that which we can conceive of “something greater than which we conceive of nothing,” one must also acknowledge that this being exists in reality as well as in the understanding. To me that is exactly what Anselm’s proved in his argument, that is, if God is thought of, then God must exist ( Baird Volume II, page 143).
To defend this thesis I would like to start with Anselm’s ontological argument Premise 1: Since the idea of God is not incoherent, then it is conceivable that God exists. I believe he is saying simply that he feels God exists in the understanding, then God must also exist in reality. So I find that he …show more content…
He said not just any idea we can get into most actually exist in reality. He used the idea of a unicorn to make this point by saying there is nothing about the idea of a unicorn that is incoherent. That fact by itself is not enough to convince us the existence of unicorns. So he ask the question what is so special about the idea of God that it must actually correspond to something real? I also found it very interesting to learn that to Anselm God is defined as “that-there-which- nothing- greater-can-be-conceived.” And since a God that exist in the understanding and in reality is a greater being than any being that exists in the understanding alone. God must exist. I think if I didn’t already believed God does exist, after hearing Anselm’s argument I surely would believe God exist ( Class
In fact Anselm’s most famous work is his attempt to prove the existence of God in the Proslogion (or discourse) known now as the “Ontological argument.” I also found it very interesting that Mr. Immanuel Kant, another great philosopher in my view said the ontological argument attempts to show that which we can conceive of “something greater than which we conceive of nothing,” one must also acknowledge that this being exists in reality as well as in the understanding. To me that is exactly what Anselm’s proved in his argument, that is, if God is thought of, then God must exist ( Baird Volume II, page 143).
To defend this thesis I would like to start with Anselm’s ontological argument Premise 1: Since the idea of God is not incoherent, then it is conceivable that God exists. I believe he is saying simply that he feels God exists in the understanding, then God must also exist in reality. So I find that he …show more content…
He said not just any idea we can get into most actually exist in reality. He used the idea of a unicorn to make this point by saying there is nothing about the idea of a unicorn that is incoherent. That fact by itself is not enough to convince us the existence of unicorns. So he ask the question what is so special about the idea of God that it must actually correspond to something real? I also found it very interesting to learn that to Anselm God is defined as “that-there-which- nothing- greater-can-be-conceived.” And since a God that exist in the understanding and in reality is a greater being than any being that exists in the understanding alone. God must exist. I think if I didn’t already believed God does exist, after hearing Anselm’s argument I surely would believe God exist ( Class