...Anselm and Aquinas Argument Regarding God The article I am writing is about Anselm and Aquinas views on God’s existence and the different arguments trying to find out the same thing, does god exist? And if so what is he? The following will be a comparison about Anselm and Aquinas views on god. I mostly agree with Anselm on the topic of that if god were to exist that he would have to be greater than anything conceived. Although I think Aquinas argument that if everything has the possibility of not being, then at sometime nothing exists and there would be nothing now, and is too weak to have it worth my support. First I will explain the assumption of Anselm and Aquinas, and then evaluate the assumption of each. I will compare and show Anselm and Aquinas unlikeness and differences between their arguments, and finally put my view on the issue. One of Anselm’s arguments is that there is nothing greater than God that can be conceived. He is stating that god is all greatness, perfect, the best and is the most worthy. Anslem says that god is the greatest and if there was a way to describe an example of him then it wouldn’t be god anymore. Second of Anslems argument is, that god exists at least in our understanding. What he is trying to explain is how God is in our understanding, our mental existence or in thought (a vision in our mind). He is saying that if we think of something that is god then he exists in our brain because we have thought of him in the first place...
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...3 December 2013 The Existence of God: Theories of Thomas Aquinas and St. Anselm Everyone has a fundamental idea of God that they have thought of believing it or not believing it. Throughout history many theologians have tried to conjure up ideas and theories to prove the existence of God. In this essay I will explain two different philosophers ontological approach to proving the existence of God, and how their theories relate and compare to one another. The first philosopher St. Thomas Aquinas explains the existence of God in five different proofs. The first argument he attempts to prove the existence of God through, is the "unmoved mover" argument. He claims that since there is motion in the world, and motion has to be caused by another thing, which has to be caused by another thing, leads to the original mover, God who caused the first motion. The argument can be broken down like this: 1. Nothing can move itself. 2. If every object in motion had a mover, then the first object in motion needed a mover. 3. Movement cannot go on for infinity. 4. This first mover is the Unmoved Mover, called God. Aquinas motion includes any kind of change or growth. Aquinas argues that things that are at rest is the natural condition for them. Something that is moving is unnatural and must have been put into that state of motion by some external force.(Higgins) In the second argument for the existence of God, Aquinas bases it on the theory of Causation. He claims that since we...
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...therefore one would ask. When people are asked about God existence, from their answers we can classify them in to two groups, the first group would be the believers whom answers will be yes based on the person’s believes. The second group would be the atheist who does not agree on God existence. However, whether a person is a believer or an atheist, there cannot be a significant prove that God exist or not. There two argument to the question of whether God exist or not. The Ontological Argument and the Cosmological Argument. The ontological argument is presented by St Anselm and the Cosmological Argument is presented by Saint Thomas Aquinas. In this essay I am going to explore both argument. The Ontological Argument The first argument I am going to explore is The Ontological Argument explained by St Anselm. In exploring St Anselm argument we can summarize it in the following characteristics. The first characteristic of Anselm ontological argument is that God is a perfect being, and it is imperfection not to exists, hence God does exist. Another characteristic is that God existence is an idea in the mind, which mean that when being exists as an idea in the mind and in reality, and all other things are equal, then there is a greater being that exists only as an idea in the mind for all other things to be compared to, and this...
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...The main conflict in the XI century was between two social groups: First of all, those who saw theology as a Bible commentary –and said that God was unreachable and a mystery-. Secondly, those who thought that rational analysis would be better -and were in favour of a more empirical and rational knowledge-. Religion and philosophy were largely mixed. The task of philosophical theology was to clarify, determine and explain the existence of God. How were philosophers supposed to do it? What are the different approaches taken by two of the most important medieval thinkers –Anselm of Canterbury and Thomas Aquinas-, and how do they differ? ***** Both Thomas Aquinas and Anselm of Canterbury identified God as a supreme being with a large number of attributes, necessary for life and the cause of the universe. They acted as mediators between the philosophical problems of their time. Anselm of Canterbury defined God as "that than nothing better can be thought" -meaning that we think of God as the most perfect being, the supreme being-. He considered it possible to demonstrate the existence of God from the mere intellectual understanding of the concept of God. He rejected the observation of the world. The existence in reality is greater than in the mind alone. Thus, if God was just in our mind, the definition of “than that nothing better can be thought” would be false –because “a being than which none greater can be conceived” must not only exist in our mind, but...
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...way; it depends upon other factors. We as individuals are contingent beings; everything else apart from God exists contingently. God, however, it is argued by religious believers, is necessary rather than contingent, there was no time when God didn’t exist. There is nothing that could happen which would cause God to cease to exist. The ontological argument begins with assumptions about God, without any empirical evidence such as the characteristics of God: Omnipotent, omniscient and omnipotent. This is what makes the argument an a priori argument, as most of the evidence used are based on assumptions of what God is like. St Anselm was an Archbishop of Canterbury; he produced the ontological argument from the perspective of ‘faith seeking understanding’ rather than in an attempt to convert non-believers. Anselm produced his argument in two different forms, Anselm starts by defining God as ‘that than which nothing greater can be thought.’ He argued that...
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...Without any force of the object, it cannot move at all. Therefore, something must act upon it for the potentiality to reach actuality. Aquinas further argued that the object cannot move in its original object alone, but an action on it will enable it to change its position. One has to move his leg or hands on the ball so as to change its position. It is a chain that continues from there in a backward manner. He reckons that in the absence of the first mover, the cause and the effect of the chain by definition moves externally back. The idea remains absurd to a sober mind since it is not accompanied by observable evidence. However, a notion exists that there must be a first mover who does not need anything for him/her to move. The first mover needs to change his direction towards an infinite position that no man can get it right. The Aquinas idea is intellectually designed to prove the existence of a God but fails to reveal clearly the existence of biblical God. It is proof that it can easily be applied to Odin, Allah or Jupiter. However, God is the creator of all things in the...
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...Anselm And Augustine Reason Of Faith Anselm And Augustine Reason Of Faith St. Augustine, who was also far and away the most influential Catholic theologian prior to St. Thomas Aquinas. St. Augustine’s mode of thought indicates perfectly that all knowledge upon all subjects must take into account the revealed truth of Scripture along with the insights of philosophy, since all knowledge is aimed at helping humanity understand God. He declared that “Faith precedes Reason” because unless you believe, you would not understand. St. Augustine like other Early Fathers of the Church, fully welcomed reason which was open to the absolute, and infused it with the richness drawn from Revelation. St. Augustine argued that reason and faith must be in concordance to know the truth and the stages of history. Moreover, he held that both help each other. Faith can help “illuminate” truths for philosophy and reasoning along the way to knowing God, and reason can help faith in understanding the perfections of God. St. Augustine, who was also far and away the most influential Catholic theologian prior to St. Thomas Aquinas. St. Augustine’s mode of thought indicates perfectly that all knowledge upon all subjects must take into account the revealed truth of Scripture along with the insights of philosophy, since all knowledge is aimed at helping humanity understand God. He declared that “Faith precedes Reason” because unless you believe, you would not understand. St. Augustine like other...
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...In The Ontological Argument, St. Anselm argues that it would be a self-contradiction if a being that none greater can be conceived did not exist. Through relations of premises, which pertain to ideas in our minds and actuality, Anselm draws the conclusion that an all-powerful being must exist. Many philosophers realize, however, that the ontological argument is problematic in that the relationship drawn between mental and actual reality is not clearly stated. In this paper I will argue that the lack of distinction between reality and beings that exist in the mind proves to be a weakness in the ontological argument. I will do this first by presenting an important philosopher who directly responds to the ontological argument, then I will further develop my argument with the notion that Anselm’s argument is too ambiguous considering we can only comprehend finite beings, and finally, I will address a response to Aquinas’s objection and why this proves to have weaknesses of its own. The ontological argument is stated as such: by definition, God is a being that none greater can be imagined. This being exists as an idea in the mind. Other things equal, a being that exists as an idea in the mind and in reality is greater than a being that exists only in the...
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...The ontological argument does not rely on empirical evidence but rather on the logic of concepts (Stickney et Al, 136). This theory first originated from Saint Anselm, The Archbishop of Canterbury. Saint Anselm originally stated that it is true by definition that no greater being than God can be imagined, a being that exists in the mind and in reality. If God only existed in the mind, then it is possible to imagine a being that is greater than God, however we are unable to do so. It is a contradiction to presume that we can imagine a being greater than God, the greatest being in existence (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy). This theory was defended by prominent philosophers such as Ibn Sina, René Descartes, and Baruch Spinoza. However, the validity of this theory has been questioned by many philosophers, such as Italian philosopher Saint Thomas Aquinas and German philosopher Immanuel Kant. Saint Thomas Aquinas believed that the existence of God is unmistakable, and that deductions from claims of the concept of a Supreme Being are absurd. People have different concepts of God, and this argument would only work if everyone defined the notion of God in the exact same way as each other. As well, the concept of an absolute supreme being overtakes our restricted human...
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...Religion is something that virtually all humans have in common. In all corners of the world and in all eras of history, people have wondered about the meaning of life, how to make the best of it, what happens afterwards and if there is anyone or anything "out there." The world of philosophy consists of so many unanswered questions. One such question is whether or not God exists. This is the very question that has grasped the imagination of humanity since the birth of reason, and the same question that has plagued scientists and philosophers without coming close to an accepted conclusion. God is a word that means different things to different people. The definition for God, according to most monotheistic religions is the creator and ruler of the universe, and the source of all moral authority. When it comes to the possibility of God's existence, the Bible states that there are people who have seen sufficient evidence, but they have suppressed the truth about God. Up to this day, there are many differing opinions as to whether a God exists or not. The great controversy has led to my personal belief that God exists through the teleological, ontological and cosmological arguments. These major ideas help to back up my statement that God exists. Based on our everyday experiences, just about everything seems to have a beginning. William Paley was a philosopher during the eighteenth century who is best known for his exposition of the teleological argument for the existence of God...
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...enjoy what they consider good, second everything that exist, exist either by something or nothing. Third there are various degrees of levels of being. Yet he was aware that these three arguments did not have the clarity. Anselm said, and I quote, “That than which nothing greater can be thought” or simply, God as the greatest conceivable being, Anselm quotes as verse from the bible, and I quote, “the fool has said in his heart. There is no God” The word fool means that someone who denies the existence of God is involved in a flat contradiction. This statement was rebutted by Gaunilon, he came to the defense of the fool, but Gaunilon did not want to negate the existence of God but only his purpose was to argue that Anselm did not have a sufficient proof. He argued that a “proof” is impossible to achieve. You need to have an understanding about the idea of God. Avicenna’s formulation of the doctrine of creation, he started with a proof of God’s existence, he insisted that whatever begins to exist must have a cause, that whatever occurs might have a cause. There is a being that existed itself whose being is not simply possible but necessary, and this is God. God is the Apex of being, He has no beginning always is in act, and therefore has always created. St. Thomas Aquinas, in his cosmological argument that God is the first cause, in the Summa Theologia or Theologica which tackles about the existence of God. The Quinque Viae or usually translated as the Five ways are as follows; First...
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...paper I will argue for the sake that God does exist and the reasons why. I will include many of the arguments found in our philosophy book and those covered in class as well as other subjects such as human suffering and the reasons God chose to make the world as it is today, also including examples from life and the movies we watched in class. St. Thomas Aquinas had many arguments for the existence of God and one of those was the fifth way. In the argument of the fifth way Aquinas says “The fifth way is taken from the governance of the world. We see that things which lack knowledge, such as natural bodies, act for an end, and this is evident from their acting always, or nearly always, in the same way, so as to obtain the best result. Hence it is plain that they achieve their end, not fortuitously, but designedly. Now whatever lacks knowledge cannot move towards an end, unless it be directed by some being endowed with knowledge and intelligence; as the arrow is directed by the archer. Therefore, some intelligent being exists by whom all natural things are directed to their end; and this being we call God”. Here St. Thomas Aquinas is basically saying that the existence of order and apparent purpose in the universe is best explained by saying that an intellectual being caused it. A good example of this argument is if we were to look at the planets in our solar system. The planets being inanimate objects couldn’t have possible placed themselves in such perfect orbit, but yet they are...
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...Theology Revision Plato Plato lived in Athens in the 5th and 4th Centuries BC He was the student of Socrates and teacher of Aristotle He was a dualist- believed in the body and the soul He believed the soul was more perfect than the body He believed that societies should be run by philosophers He believed the physical world is a pale imitation of the world of the forms The allegory of the cave The prisoners- normal people of society The prisoner who escapes- philosophers, people that thirst to know the real truth The people casting the shadows- the leaders of society- shaping the world without knowing the truth The shadows/statues- what people believe is reality, what they are told to believe, things people deem to be important The cave- a world without knowledge, the physical world/the body The fire- controlled, dim light- limited knowledge. An imitation of the form of the good The journey outside- a difficult journey, acquisition of knowledge The sun- illuminates the true world- form of the good The journey back into the cave- the desire to educate and inform others of the truth The world of the Forms Forms Plato uses the word ‘form’ to describe the true essence of material objects in the world This idea of the ‘form’ exists in a non physical (yet more real) realm that can only be understood by the mind. This is called the world of the forms Plato believed that the forms were interrelated and hierarchical The highest form The ultimate principle...
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...The teleological argument Teleological arguments are often divided into types by philosophers; 1. Arguments based on purpose 2. Arguments based on regularity Thomas Aquinas 1. When you look at the natural world, you can see that everything in it follows natural laws, even if the things are not conscious, thinking being. 2. If things follow natural laws they tend to do well and have some goal or purpose. 3. However, if a thing cannot think for itself it does not have any goal or purpose unless it is directed by something that thinks: take an arrow as an example. It can only be directed to its goal and used for its purpose by someone, such as an archer. 4. Conclusion: everything in the natural world that does not think for itself heads towards its goal or purpose because it is directed by something which does think. That something we call ‘God’. William Paley Part 1. 1. Paley suggests that if you went for a walk and found a rock, you could conclude that it had been there forever and not think any more about it. Whereas if you found a watch (an old fashioned watch with cogs and springs) you could examine it and find that it had moving parts which demonstrate that: (a) The watch was for a purpose: telling the time (b) The parts work together or are fit for a purpose (c) The parts were ordered and put together in a certain way to make the watch function (d) If the parts are arranged in a different way the watch does not work, i.e. it does not fulfil...
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...civilizations as a whole. Cosmological arguments for the existence of god are some the oldest. They have been supported by theorists such as Aristotle and Plato and philosophers throughout history. “They all begin with the empirical fact that the universe exists—and end with the conclusion that only God could be responsible for this fact” (63). While they take different forms, they all have this basic structure. Several of their forms were developed by St. Thomas Aquinas, one was his famous was the first-cause argument. It explains that everything that happens has a cause. So something must have been the first cause, which causes the second, and so on. God must be the first cause. Arguments against Aquinas’ question the idea that an infinite regress could not exist. Philosophers, like David Hume, state the universe needs no beginning, it could just be eternal. “The universe may have simply always been” (67). While cosmological appeals stand on the evidence mainly of experience, ontological arguments stand solely on logic. St. Anselm, originator of this theory, described god as “that which no greater can be conceived” (Oppy). He reasoned that nothing can be greater than a being that which no greater can be conceived therefore that being (God) exists. There are many objections to ontological arguments. One general criticism is that none of these arguments persuade those who do not already belief in a divine being. The monk Gaunilo of Marmoutier disagreed with St. Anselm’s reasoning because...
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