StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

St. Anselm / St. Aquinas - ontological/cosmotological argument - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The ontological argument is a philosophical debate and one of the most strangest and debated of the proofs. Philosophers like Immanuel Kant and G.W.F…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER92.7% of users find it useful
St. Anselm / St. Aquinas - ontological/cosmotological argument
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "St. Anselm / St. Aquinas - ontological/cosmotological argument"

Download file to see previous pages

The proof is based on the conception that God is a perfect being. The ontological argument points out the following: iii. The argument says that if something exists in our understanding then there are chances for the same to have existed in reality which is likely to be greater. This means something that prevails in reality is great or perfect and something which exists in our minds as a concept is actually greater. The proof is intriguing because it indicates that God is a perfect personality and should exist in all possible settings to fulfill the description of his perfection.

It indicates that a God that prevail only in certain circumstance and fails to prevail in other circumstances is a less perfect personality. The Cosmological argument of St. Thomas Aquinas in Summa theologia explains five ways through which we can know the existence of God. The first three approaches is related to the cosmological argument. i. St.Aquinas begins the cosmological argument by claiming that the world has things in motion which means that things undergo change. The things in motion are set to move by another thing which is in motion.

It is claimed by Aquinas that the thing which sets other thing in motion is a phenomenon that cannot continue to infinity since there will be nothing to make the first move. Therefore, St.Aquinas claims that the elimination of the infinite cycle of motion is possible only if there is a first mover and the basis of all motion is God. ii. The second argument is similar to the first where it is argued that the world of sense experienced by us is an order of efficient causes. The saint means that any circumstance, thing or event cannot make a change itself, but can cause a change which explains the concept of efficient cause.

The chain of causes wherein a string cannot be infinite indicates that the cause of change is attributed to the first cause, God. iii. The third argument states that world is obliged for its existence to

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“St. Anselm / St. Aquinas - ontological/cosmotological argument Essay”, n.d.)
St. Anselm / St. Aquinas - ontological/cosmotological argument Essay. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1563948-st-anselm-st-aquinas-ontologicalcosmotological-argument
(St. Anselm / St. Aquinas - ontological/Cosmotological Argument Essay)
St. Anselm / St. Aquinas - ontological/Cosmotological Argument Essay. https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1563948-st-anselm-st-aquinas-ontologicalcosmotological-argument.
“St. Anselm / St. Aquinas - ontological/Cosmotological Argument Essay”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1563948-st-anselm-st-aquinas-ontologicalcosmotological-argument.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF St. Anselm / St. Aquinas - ontological/cosmotological argument

Evaluation of Aquinass Criticism on Gods Existence and Self-evidence

The paper "Evaluation of Aquinas's Criticism on God's Existence and Self-evidence" intends to delineate Anselm's ontological argument about the existence of God and Thomas Aquinas' criticism and refutation of the view that God's existence is self-evident.... However, Aquinas while refuting the ontological argument seems to divest religion of its inherent need for faith and mysticism.... In 1078, he propounded his famous ontological argument for the existence of God in his well-known book 'Proslogium'....
6 Pages (1500 words) Term Paper

Great Works of Western Philosophy

The relativist argument explains that a true definition of morality includes the very essence of the term because its notion differs from people to people.... For instance, Meno is a dialogue between Socrates and a young man Meno that includes the Socratic philosophy on the nature of virtue....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

Great Works of Western Philosophy

Propositions have been both in support as well as against the existence of God, and have included… Among the argumentations, two of the most significant views are the ontological and cosmological argumentation in support of the existence of God, proposed by Italian philosophers Saint Anselm and Thomas While Anselm's ontological argument achieved a good amount of support, Aquinas' cosmological outlook was the result of his strong criticism of the views of the former.... However, what seems to be evidently noticeable is that Aquinas' argument is another improvement of the ontological view of Anselm....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay

Issues on the Existence of God

Dawkins explains an argument from his book, that is, faith is blind whereas science is evidence-based (92), in which he argues that faith is by no reason strengthening its grounds in the 21st century when it has nothing to do with evidence.... The essay "Issues on the Existence of God" discusses why would an intelligent mind believe or not believe in the existence of God, and what the author's opinion about the nature and existence of God is....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

What Is an Argument

A sound argument comprises of reasons that are all valid and have true premises.... However, a valid argument is simply a deductive analysis and may sometimes be based on invalid reasoning.... He objects that if Anselm's argument is to be considered and accepted, then all other sound... anselm argues that he understands God to be a supreme being and that there is no possible force greater than God's in this universe....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay

Anselm's Proslogion, Chapter II--The Ontological Proof of God

There are several variations of the argument proposed by various philosophers and theologians – but the purpose of this thesis is to analyze… Anselm of Canterbury (1033–1109), which he had put forth in second chapter of his book, Proslogion. The purpose of Anselm's ontological argument seems to be to point out the supposed logical error However, to maintain the position, the atheist would have to add another attribute, that of “existing in reality,” to supposedly make it the “greatest possible being”....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Great Works of Western Philosophy

The paper “Great Works of Western Philosophy” tries to reinstate the proposition that Aquinas' criticism on the ontological argument of Anselm of the existence of God can be rather considered as an improvement of Anselm's argument.... hellip; The author discusses Anselm's ontological argument on the existence of God in order to understand the crux of the matter.... Anselm's ontological argument is cited in the second chapter of his theological discourse Proslogion and is considered to be one of the most written about philosophical arguments ever....
9 Pages (2250 words) Assignment

The Question of Gods Existence

One most common argument about objections to God's existence is the argument of evil and suffering.... ne deductive argument is St.... Anselm's ontological argument.... The argument states that the existence of God is self-evident.... The ontological argument proves God's existence by defining the nature of God.... Thomas aquinas, while also examining a few counter-arguments that disprove the existence of God....
9 Pages (2250 words) Coursework
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us