• Home Page
  • Ontological Argument For The Existence Of God

Ontological Argument For The Existence Of God

Superior Essays
Show More
One of the most interesting topics in philosophy is the concern about the existence of God. Most of the time the way we perceive this theory can affect how we view the world and how we behave. Therefore, to discuss this topic there are three major arguments that attempt to show the existence of God. They are known as ontological argument, cosmological argument and theological argument. The first argument is known as ontological argument. This type of argument tries to show that God exists by having three traits. The first one is omnipotent, which states that God has every possible power. The second one is omniscient, which God has every possible bit of knowledge. Therefore god knows everything that anyone could know. Lastly, is omnibenevolent, …show more content…
He claims that if I have the idea of a stone, then the idea has a certain amount of objective reality. Therefore whatever caused that idea to come into existence must have at least as much reality as I perceived being in the stone. In other words, if I perceived the stone as having an X amount of formal reality, then the idea must be caused by something having the same amount of formal reality or more. Even though this claim is a little bit confusing, I find it to be reasonable. If a have an idea Y that has objective reality P, and I have a smaller amount of objective reality or formal reality required to cause Z, then I know I am alone in the …show more content…
Therefore, Descartes claims that it could be the case that I created the ideas of things and animals since I have as much formal reality as they do. However, it might not be the same case with angels. But I do have an idea of God, and it has more reality than the idea of angles. The idea of God is of a substance that is infinite, intelligent and powerful. And just like him, I am a substance. But I am a finite substance and God is an infinite substance. Consequently, I can’t get my idea of infinite substance from my idea of finite substance, since it has less objective reality than the idea of infinite reality. Therefore my idea of God is of something that has an infinite amount of formal reality. As a result, there must be a being outside of me that exists and has that much formal reality. But the only being that could fit to that description is God. Therefore, God

Related Documents

  • Decent Essays

    What Does 9/11 Tell Me Wrong
    • 68 Words
    • 1 Pages

    What Does 9/11 Tell Me Wrong

    God is almighty. For us who love God, all things work together as He…

    • 68 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    The Ontological Argument Analysis
    • 1204 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Ontological Argument Analysis

    The two arguments that I think are the most compelling from this unit are the Ontological Argument, which is a priori argument, meaning before the experience. The other argument that is compelling is the Cosmological argument which is a posterior argument, or after the experience. The Ontological argument cam from Anselm and it states that “it is greater to exist in the mind and reality that just the mind, therefore God must exist” (McGowan). The Ontological argument isn’t about facts about the cosmos, but rather the concept of God. The Cosmological Argument states that “everything that is in motion is moved by something else, and infinite regress is impossible; there must have been a first mover; that first mover being God” (McGowan).…

    • 1204 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Descartes Fifth Meditation: The Ontological Argument For God
    • 1477 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Descartes Fifth Meditation: The Ontological Argument For God

    Descartes fifth Meditation presents the Ontological Argument for God’s Existence. Though many people find Descartes Ontological Argument for God’s Existence to be an unpersuasive and weak argument, I find it is a very strong argument that provides a strong foundation and argument for God’s existence. In this paper I plan to elaborate upon Descartes fifth meditation and slightly over the first and third. After this I will then explain its strong points and weaknesses. I believe Descartes Ontological Argument for God’s Existence in Meditation five to be a strong and persuasive argument.…

    • 1477 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Teleological Argument For The Existence Of God Analysis
    • 435 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Teleological Argument For The Existence Of God Analysis

    The Teleological Argument for the Existence of God, also known as “Arguments from Design”, states that a designer must exist because the universe and living things exhibit marks of design in their order, consistency, unity, and pattern, and that designer is God. One of the analogies used for this argument is William Paley’s Watch Maker Argument. He gives the scenario: if you were to find a watch in an open field you would automatically assume that it was designed and did not just randomly form out of thin air. Based off this argument, if you agree that the universe and its inhabitants are designed in some way for a purpose, then there must be a designer responsible, which would be God. Believers in the Teleological Argument also argue that scientists and evolutionists are unable to explain how complex organisms such as the eye originated.…

    • 435 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    A Scientific Argument For The Existence Of God Analysis
    • 1636 Words
    • 7 Pages

    A Scientific Argument For The Existence Of God Analysis

    In this paper I will explain and evaluate two popular arguments regarding the existence of God, A Scientific Argument for the Existence of God by Robin Collins and The Inductive Argument from Evil Against the Existence of God by William Rowe; then I will discuss how the conclusions are not compatible with one another due to the conflicting structure of the conclusions as well as how one cannot accept both conclusions without compromising one of the arguments. First I will explain the basis of Collins’ argument, which is one of the most frequently used arguments in favor of theism. In A Scientific Argument for the Existence of God, Collins centers around the observation of how finely tuned the physical constants of the universe are to the ability for any form of life to exist, if any of them were to change even the smallest bit then no life would possibly be able to develop not to…

    • 1636 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    The Cosmological Argument: Proving The Existence Of God
    • 490 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Cosmological Argument: Proving The Existence Of God

    Cosmological argument The cosmological argument is a well known argument that attempts to prove the existence of God. The most common leader of the argument is Thomas Aquinas who devised Five Ways to prove the existence of God, which he referred to as “demonstration.” It comes to the conclusion that God exists from posteriori because it focuses on cause and effect to come to an assumption that God exists, which contrasts with the priori approach to the ontological argument. Linear religions generally accept that God made the universe ex nihilo because in Genesis God existed at the beginning of time; therefore, He must be the cause of the universe because you can’t have an effect without a cause.…

    • 490 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Essay On Anselm's Ontological Argument
    • 836 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Essay On Anselm's Ontological Argument

    Anselm’s Ontological Argument Anselm creates the Ontological argument with one primary goal. He claims to succeed in developing an argument of the existence of God without the requirement of actual proof. Anselm 's reasoning and argument only gives a mere opinion on the topic of the existence of God. He formulates a two part hypothesis consisting of: God exists and God has always existed. Anselm’s Ontological argument expresses accusations that are simply in his favor or his outlook on God.…

    • 836 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Ontological Argument In Proving The Existence Of God
    • 788 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Ontological Argument In Proving The Existence Of God

    How successful is the Ontological Argument in Proving the Existence of God? For centuries, the existence of God has been questioned and argued by many different philosophers. One of the “big three” arguments is the Ontological Argument, an argument that could be said to be valid, as it has a good structure, but the soundness is questionable. The argument was founded by St Anselm (1033-1109) on the basis of two things: firstly, that God is “that than which nothing greater can be conceived” , which means that God is the most superior being that can possibly be imagined; he is omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-seeing), benevolent (all-loving), omnipresent (present everywhere) and eternal (always existing). Secondly, that existence is a perfection; existence is superior to non-existence.…

    • 788 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Cosmological Argument For God's Existence Of God
    • 829 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Cosmological Argument For God's Existence Of God

    Introduction Science is based on the premise that everything originated from something and to believe that this universe occurred by random chance seems illogical. The perplexities and intricacies of nature postulates the idea, or lack thereof, of a higher power. The question of God’s existence is one that has intrigued humanity and countless of philosophers since the beginning of logical thinking. Many philosophers believe that God exists, while others argue and refute His existence. Did the universe really occur by random chance?…

    • 829 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Cosmological Argument Essay
    • 1609 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Cosmological Argument Essay

    The argument for the existence of God I find those most interesting is the Cosmological argument. The Cosmological argument starts with the idea that everything in nature has an explanatory or sensible sequence. For these sequences to exist and be so efficient it must be concluded that something must have caused them and put them into place, a thing that was not just another part of nature or sequence. To fully sum up and conclude this argument it must be put together that a powerful force or even “God like” being must have implemented nature and all of its many sequences. This out of all the arguments makes the most sense.…

    • 1609 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    The Ontological Argument And Pascal's Wager Argument
    • 1583 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The Ontological Argument And Pascal's Wager Argument

    The Ontological Argument and Pascal’s Wager The “Ontological Argument” was created by Saint Anselm; this argument is in support of God’s existence. His argument is one based on observation and reason not on empirical evidence and is spit in to three parts. The parts include why god exists, why god cannot be thought to not exist, and lastly why atheists are able to think that God does not exist. In the first section he begins with a definition of God that he believes everyone would be accepting of and that cannot be disputed.…

    • 1583 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Cosmological Argument For The Existence Of God
    • 1424 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Cosmological Argument For The Existence Of God

    The existence of the universe, the argument claims, stands in need of explanation, and the only adequate explanation of its existence is that it was created by God. In simple words, cosmological argument for exsitence of god is this argument was argue that the cause of those things existence had be a “god-typed” thing, argument go all the way back to Plato and have been used by notable philosophers and thelogians ever since. Besides being philosophically evident, science finally caught up with theologians in the 20th centry when it was confirmed that universe had to have had a beginning, so today, the arguments even powerful for…

    • 1424 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Prime Reality: The Really Real?
    • 1942 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Prime Reality: The Really Real?

    He is beyond us and beyond our world. God is the prime reality. What is the nature of external reality, that is, the world around us?…

    • 1942 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Great Essays

    Teleological Argument Essay
    • 1587 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Teleological Argument Essay

    What are the strengths of the teleological argument? The teleological argument is an a posteriori style of argument, also known as an empirical argument which uses the evidence using observations of the world through the five senses to argue the existence of God. The argument is based on an interpretation of teleology in which purpose or telos appear to exist in nature. The teleological argument suggests that, given this premise, the existence of a designer can be assumed, typically presented as God.…

    • 1587 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Two Similarities Of Descartes And Spinoza
    • 799 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Two Similarities Of Descartes And Spinoza

    Since Spinoza defines an infinite substance as “which is in itself, and is conceived through itself” (Part I, Definition III), having a finite substance would thus be a contradiction. Everything else are hence, modifications As such, while Spinoza and Descartes designate God as the one infinite substance, they have different conceptions of the God’s relation to things due to their dissimilar ontological…

    • 799 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More

Related Topics

Ready To Get Started?
Discover
Company
Follow
©2024 Cram.com
Privacy Policy |  About Ads |  Site Map |  Advertise  | 
  • Cookie Settings