1. The existence of God: introduction
The existence of God: introductory comments
Are most people theists, agnostics, or aetheists because of rational arguments?
Why examine rational arguments?
To satisfy our rational side
To integrate our religious faith with reason
Existence of God ~ slide 1

2. The existence of God: introduction
To discover which approach toward God questions is the most sound
Rational arguments are not found in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, and the Qu’ran. Why not?
Existence of God ~ slide 2

3. The existence of God: introduction
Some suggestions
The Jewish people were not concerned with the existence or non-existence of God, but with monotheism and polytheism.
The Jewish religion was not an evangelical religion; hence they did not develop an apologetic approach toward their religious faith. Cf. Christianity
Existence of God ~ slide 3

4. The existence of God: introduction
The gap between the God of reason & the God of scripture
Some jargon
ontological arguments (Greek, ontos - “being” or “existence)
a priori & a posteriori arguments
design or teleological arguments
Gap between God of reason & God of scripture
1. Most philosophers until recent times assumed that these two could be harmonized; no conflict between them
2. Our knowledge of God from reason is impoverished compared to the God of Scripture
Existence of God ~ slide 4

5. The existence of God: Anselm
Anselm’s ontological argument
Anselm of Canterbury (Italian, )
In the Proslogium (1078)
Opens with a prayer!
And it was written for his monks. Why?
Existence of God ~ slide 5

6. The existence of God: Anselm
The argument
1. I have an idea of “a being than which nothing greater can be conceived.”
2. Ideas can exist in the mind only or both in the mind & in reality. For an idea to exist only in the mind is less perfect than for it to exist both in the mind & in reality
Existence of God ~ slide 6

7. The existence of God: Anselm
3. If the idea of the greatest being conceivable were only an idea in the mind, then it would not be the greatest being conceivable. Such an idea contains a contradiction.
Existence of God ~ slide 7

8. The existence of God: Anselm
4. Therefore, God exists both an an idea in the mind & as a reality.
Guanilon’s objection
We can apply the same reasoning to the existence of the greatest possible island, or the highest possible mountain. But these do not necessarily, by the fact of such reasoning, exist.
Existence of God ~ slide 8

9. The existence of God: Anselm
Anselm’s reply to Guanilon
We can always think of a more perfect island or higher mountain. The idea of God is different; it is unique. We can’t conceive of a being greater than the greatest being conceivable.
Is Anselm’s argument a priori or a posteriori?
Existence of God ~ slide 9

10. The existence of God: Anselm
Critical evaluation
What follows from the idea of “a being than which nothing greater can be conceived” (GBC)?
Whenever I have the idea of GBC, I must logically have [the idea that GBC exists both as an idea in the mind and as a reality]. But both of these (the idea of GBC & everything in brackets) are ideas in the mind.
Existence of God ~ slide 10

11. The existence of God: Anselm
Briefly, the argument makes an unwarranted leap from the realm of ideas to the realm of reality. Is such a leap always fallacious?
Partial mitigation: The argument may be taken as a meditation on the attributes of God--all-loving, all-wise, all-powerful, etc.
Existence of God ~ slide 11