UW-Rock County
Introduction to Philosophy
UW-Rock County
Introduction to Philosophy
Questions Arguments for God's Existence -Ontological
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Stephen E. Schmid
UW-Rock County
Introduction to Philosophy
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How does one go about deciding God exists?
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Are there any rational arguments proving God's existence? Are there arguments proving God’s non-existence?
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Should we deny the existence of objective evidence and be content with subjective beliefs and faith?
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What is our conception of God and do facts about the world conflict with this conception?
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Do all religions depend upon a conception of God?
Can one seek objective evidence to confirm or deny God's existence?
UW-Rock County
Judaism, Christianity, and Islamic religions
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Theist: one who believes in God
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Monotheism: claim that there is one God that created the world, sustains it, and transcends it
Stephen E. Schmid
Introduction to Philosophy
Proving God's Existence
Abrahamic Religions
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Stephen E. Schmid
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How does one go about proving God's existence/nonexistence? How does one prove that Santa Claus exists or doesn't exist? How does one prove that Santa Claus' existence is impossible?
Stephen E. Schmid
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UW-Rock County
Introduction to Philosophy
UW-Rock County
Introduction to Philosophy
Evidence vs. Nonevidence
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Belief without Reasons
Evidentialism: claim that belief in the truth of a proposition (e.g., God exists) is justified only by objective evidence
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Nonevidentialism: claim that basic beliefs (e.g., God exists) and stance in life does not depend on objective, rational evidence
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Natural Theology: theology, including proofs for God's existence, based on reason and experience alone
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Three objective arguments for God's existence: Ontological, Cosmological, and Teleological
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Stephen E. Schmid
UW-Rock County
Introduction to Philosophy
b) failing any objective evidence, the rational person will believe God does not exist
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Atheism: claim that God does not exist
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Atheist's goal is to show that all arguments for God's existence are invalid or inconclusive
Stephen E. Schmid
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Belief in God is a leap of faith
UW-Rock County
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Introduction to Philosophy
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One's belief in God is rational only if one has objective evidence justifying this belief.
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Rational arguments can prove God's existence.
a) one cannot know whether God exists or doesn't exist, or
Agnosticism: claim that God's existence is unknown or unknowable; a form of skepticism
It makes no sense to say we believe in God on faith, if we have objective reasons for our belief
Questions -- Do you Agree or Disagree?
If one cannot prove the nonexistence of God, then either
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Stephen E. Schmid
Agnosticism and Atheism
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Fideism: claim that religious belief is based on faith and/or revelation alone; reason and proofs for God's existence are irrelevant
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All one needs to believe in God is faith or revelation. God exists. God does not exist. Without (possible) conclusive evidence to justify God's existence, one should conclude that God's existence is unknowable.
Stephen E. Schmid
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UW-Rock County
Introduction to Philosophy
UW-Rock County
Introduction to Philosophy
Form of the Argument Ontological Argument
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Ontology is the science of being with regard to the aspect of being
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It’s the study of beings as they exist,
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A priori argument: depends on principles and/or propositions known (justified) without, or prior to, experience
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A posteriori argument: depends on principles and/or propositions known (justified) with, or after (post), experience
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What makes a proposition a priori? If one understands the concepts involved, then one can determine the truth of the proposition based on reason alone
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Reductio ad absurdum: an argument which assumes the opposite of what one wants to prove and shows that the assumption leads to contradiction or "absurdity"
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Anselm’s Ontological Argument is an a priori, reductio argument
It’s the study of the nature of things
Ontological argument tries to derive God's existence from the very concept of God's being
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Stephen E. Schmid
UW-Rock County
Introduction to Philosophy
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Stephen E. Schmid
UW-Rock County
Introduction to Philosophy
Anselm's Argument (Rowe’s version)
Rowe's Existence List
1. God exists in the understanding. Things which Exist
Things which don't Exist
Empire State Building
Fountain of Youth
Dogs
Unicorns
planet Mars
Abominable Snowman
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Round-square
2. God might have existed in reality (God is a possible being). 3. If something exists only in the understanding and might have existed in reality, then it might have been greater than it is. 4. Suppose God exists only in the understanding. 5. God might have been greater than He is.
1. Exists, but might not have (contingent, possible being)
6. God is a being than which a greater is possible.
2. Doesn't exist, but might have (contingent, possible being)
7. The being than which none greater is possible is a being than which a greater is possible.
3. Doesn't exist, and could not have (impossible thing)
8. It is false that God exists only in the understanding.
4. Exists, and could not not have (necessary thing)
Stephen E. Schmid
9. God exists in reality as well as in the understanding.
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Stephen E. Schmid
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UW-Rock County
Introduction to Philosophy
UW-Rock County
Two Criticisms
Key points to Anselm's Argument
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God is a being than which no conceivable being is greater
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Introduction to Philosophy
Treat “conceivable” as possible Contrasts what is with what is possible
1. Gaunilo’s Greatest Possible Island counterexample
"Greater than" means "better than," or "superior to"
2. Exemplifying Anselm’s Concept of God
"Existence in reality is a great-making quality"
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actually existing is greater than merely being conceived/ possible
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Stephen E. Schmid
UW-Rock County
Introduction to Philosophy
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Stephen E. Schmid
UW-Rock County
Gaunilo's "Greatest Possible Island"
Introduction to Philosophy
Key Points to Gaunilo's Criticism
1. GPI exists in the understanding. 2. GPI might have existed in reality (GPI is a possible thing). 3. If something exists only in the understanding and might have existed in reality, then it might have been greater than it is. 4. Suppose GPI exists only in the understanding.
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Definition of GPI does not entail that any island actually exists
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There must be something defective with the argument since we know that GPI does not exist
5. GPI might have been greater than it is. 6. GPI is a thing than which a greater is possible. 7. The thing than which none greater is possible is a thing than which a greater is possible.
Assumes that GPI does not exist in reality, yet argument says it does
8. It is false that GPI exists only in the understanding. 9. GPI exists in reality as well as in the understanding.
Stephen E. Schmid
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Stephen E. Schmid
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UW-Rock County
Introduction to Philosophy
UW-Rock County
Exemplifying Anselm's Concept of God
Problems with Gaunilo's Criticism (according to Rowe)
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Anselm's Great-Making Principle: if something does not exist then it is not as great a thing as it would have been had it existed.
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Can Anselm show that some existing thing exemplifies his conception of God?
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Anselm’s possible thing argument
Applied to the island: if GPI does not exist, then there might be a greater thing (that's not an island) ["an unsurpassable island may be a surpassable thing"]
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How can a finite thing have unlimited perfections? (How can finite minds conceive of unlimited perfections?)
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GPI is more like a round-square than God
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Stephen E. Schmid
UW-Rock County
Introduction to Philosophy
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If Anselm's God is a possible thing, it is either an existing or a non-existing thing.
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No non-existing thing can be Anselm's God.
If "existing" is included in or implied by a concept, it might be that no possible thing exemplifies that concept
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So, it doesn't follow from Anselm's conception of God that God actually exists
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In fact, Anselm's insistence that his conception of God is a possible thing directly implies that God exists -- but that is what Anselm is supposed to prove, not assume
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Stephen E. Schmid
UW-Rock County
Introduction to Philosophy
Rowe's Criticism of Anselm’s Argument
It appears Anselm’s argument for God’s existence begs the question
Stephen E. Schmid
Therefore, Anselm's God is some existing thing.
Anselm's argument does show that the only thing which could logically exemplify his concept of God is an actually existing thing
Problems with Anselm’s Existence Argument
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Introduction to Philosophy
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Begging the Question: Anselm's concept of God as a possible thing presupposes that God exists--but this is what he was supposed to prove, not assume
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Anselm's concept of God includes existence
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Just because the conception of God includes "existence" does not mean that there is a being which actually exists
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Anselm's concept of God entails that no non-existing thing can be supremely great (God)
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It would be false to say that "Some non-existing thing is God"
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But, Anselm’s argument fails to prove God’s existence
Stephen E. Schmid
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