Existence

An important topic within metaphysical philosophy is theodicy, which works to justify the existence of God even though evil exists. John Hick and Steven Cahn in their respective works, “The Problem of Evil” and “The Problem of Good”, provide valid arguments for the existence and probable non existence of God in the presence of good and evil. Through the reversal of Hick’s argument, I feel that Cahn establishes the illogic behind Hick’s view and proves that because both good and bad will always…

Does the idea of perfection in any way imply the existence of perfection? This question formed the basis of Anselm’s Ontological argument. Anselm advocated the existence of God as an infinite and perfect being not just in the mind, but also in reality. This concept of the existence of a perfect being was challenged by another philosopher named Gaunilon, who compared the existence of God with that of a perfect island. Anselm’s reply to Gaunilon was that there is no comparison between the two,…

Samuel Clark provides a convincing demonstration in Section (IV) where establishes the existence of an independent and unchangeable being that has always existed. He believes that there are two options when it comes to the explanation of how things have come to be. The first, is his acceptable premise that a “being has always existed in some one unchangeable, and independent” form. (p. 10) The other premise is that “there has been an infinite succession of unchangeable and dependent beings,…

religion. Science by definition based on the subject matter is a continuing search or quest that makes progress but never arrives at the absolute truth. What leads those in science is the philosophy of naturalism that does not give advise the existence of anything supernatural at any time in history. Religion can be defined as a system of beliefs relating to transcendent realities concerning the purpose and meaning in the world, expressed in social practices. There is always room for debate…

he proves the existence of God in meditation three in his Meditations on First Philosophy. I will develop my argument in two parts. First, I will present Descartes’s argument for how mistakes are made and avoided. Second, I will present Descartes’s first proof for the existence of God in the third meditation, and in the process present the steps clearly and distinctly, exactly as Descartes understands them. Thus, Descartes cannot be making a mistake when he proves the existence of God.…

St. Anselm, an Italian monk, first initiated the ontological argument. He was a firm As a firm believer in God and hoped to prove and share his strong faith on God’s existence by using logic and reason. He defines God as ‘something than which nothing greater can be thought.’ Anselm states that there is a difference between understanding God as a concept and understanding him to exist. To back up this claim he uses the analogy of a painter. He elaborates that the first step a painter takes is by…

How does Descartes use this principle to prove the existence of God? Does his proof work?” Descartes’ Meditations attempts to establish what is known without certainty by the strategy of doubt. He expresses the “Causal Principle” in order to prove the existence of God, i.e. that the idea we possess of a God could only exist if God created that idea himself. In this essay I will give an understanding of how Descartes came to his proof of the existence of God. I will present the argument that…

The existence of God is, and has been, a very highly debated philosophical argument that has bewildered philosophers since even before the age of ‘Enlightenment.’ Many of the different arguments put forth have not adequately proven God’s existence, although, in order to move forward, failed arguments must be studied to ensure that mistakes are not repeated. One such argument is that of Saint Anselm’s Ontological Argument. Anselm’s ontological argument is about the fact that nothing greater than…

archbishop of Canterbury and a Doctor of the Church, first created the Ontological Argument. This is among one of the strangest arguments as well as also being one of the most debated. The ontological argument is notable due to its claim of the existence of God by basing its evidence solely on human reason and without any…

true. However this means that Moore begs the question when he arrives at his conclusion. Moore explains he can rigorously prove the existence of two hands, by simply holding up his two hands. He mentions that as he makes a certain gesture saying "Here is one hand" (G.E Moore 197) and then by simply mentioning "here is another"(G.E Moore 197), he has proven the existence of such external things. Describing his proof as a perfectly rigorous one, he mentions that it is "perhaps impossible to give…