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THE ONTOLOGICAL ARGUMENT
• The ontological argument aims to establish that God exists in terms of a correct conceptual analysis of
‘God’.
• On this view, given that the concept of God is coherent, this is sufficient to prove that He exists.
• Thus, the existence of God is a matter of conceptual necessity.
• Hence, the existence of God be known an a priori manner once the concept of God is properly understood.
Anselm
• Traditionally, the first formulation of ontological argument is attributed to Saint Anselm.
• For Anselm, God is the being than which no greater can be conceived.
• Given that this is what can be understood by the concept of God, a denial of the existence of will imply a contradiction.
• For, if God as defined exists only in mind (in intellectu) but not in reality (in re) it will follow «the being than which no greater can be conceived» does not exist mind-independently. This is a contradication. Because a being which exists both in mind and in reality is greater than a being which exists in mind only.
Descartes
• According to Descartes, the nature and existence of God cannot be conceived apart from each other.
• The very nature of God entails His existence, just as, in thinking of a triangle, one must accept due to the very nature of triangle that the three angles are equal to two right angles.
• No being can be perfect without existence. Therefore
Divine perfection entails Divine existence.
KANT’S CRITICISM
• The existence of a being cannot be established through a purely conceptual analysis.
• No analytical proposition can be factual.
• Existence is not a real predicate.
• To accept a triangle together with the rejection of its angles will imply a contradiction, but a complete denial of triangle will not .
• Likewise, if we accept the concept of God but reject that He is
omnipotent, this will entail a contradiction. But if we deny the concept of God altogether , no contradiction will arise.
• However, Kant’s both objections seem to be rather controversial. It is not clear that «existence» is not a real predicate and that no analytical
proposition can yield the factual existence of something.
Malcolm
• Although ‘existence‘ may not be a real predicate in the case of contingent beings,
‘necessary existence’ is a real predicate in the case of God.
• Unlike contingent beings, Divine existence cannot be a matter of contingency.
Therefore if God’s existence is not impossible He must exist necessarily.
• Likewise, if there is no God, its existence is impossible because assuming that a cause brings God into existence contradicts the concept of God. In other words, unless
God's existence is shown to be impossible, His existence must be considered as necessary.
• Given that the concept of God, unlike the concept «square circle», is not
contradictory it has not yet been shown that His existence is impossible. But if the existence of God is possible, then it is necessary.
Plantinga
• Platinga’s defence of the ontological argument depends on the concepts of «maximal greatness» and «maximum excellence» in terms of possible worlds. Thus:
• There is a possible world in which the maximal greatness is realized.
• A being has maximal greatness only if it has maximal greatness in all possible worlds.
• Maximal greatness entails maximal excellence.
• Maximal excellence in turn entails the properties such as knowledge, power and goodness.
• Consequently maximal excellence entails Divine properties such as omnscience, omnipotence and moral perfection in all possible worlds.
