The Ontological Argument Quiz

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Questions and Answers

What is the ontological argument and who presented it?

The ontological argument is an argument for the existence of God presented by a monk named Anselm of Canterbury in 1078.

How did Arthur Schopenhauer describe the ontological argument?

Arthur Schopenhauer called the ontological argument a charming joke.

What are possible worlds and how are they related to the ontological argument?

Possible worlds are simply ways the world could have been, and they are related to the ontological argument because to say that something exists in a possible world is just to say that if the world were that way, then the thing would have existed.

What is the ontological argument?

<p>A philosophical argument for the existence of God based on the concept of a maximally great being.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why is it important for a maximally great being to exist in every possible world?

<p>To be considered maximally great, the being must be all-powerful, all-knowing, and morally perfect in every possible world.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What must the atheist maintain in order to refute the ontological argument?

<p>The atheist must maintain that it is impossible for God to exist.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the first step in the ontological argument?

<p>To define God as a maximally great being.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why is the idea of a maximally great pizza not like the idea of a maximally great being?

<p>There aren't intrinsic maximal values that make pizzas great, unlike the concept of a maximally great being.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What would cause the ontological argument to fail?

<p>If it can be shown that the idea of God is logically incoherent.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the issue with the idea of a maximally great pizza and its existence?

<p>It would mean that the pizza couldn't be eaten, so it wouldn't really be a pizza because a pizza is something you can eat.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why is the idea of God considered intuitively coherent?

<p>The text does not provide a direct answer to this question.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does the ontological argument show regarding the existence of God?

<p>If God possibly exists, then God actually exists.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is Anselm's definition of God?

<p>God is, by definition, the best possible thing we can imagine. THE. BEST. THING.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the name of the argument that Anselm presented for the existence of God?

<p>Ontological argument</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the difference between the philosophical study of religion and theology, and why is atheism not an option in theology?

<p>The philosophical study of religion takes nothing as a given, including religious belief, and everything needs an argument. Theology, on the other hand, assumes that God exists and might try to solve philosophical problems that arise from a belief in God. Atheism is not an option in theology because it starts by assuming that God exists.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why do philosophers examine even sacred beliefs, and what is required to support them?

<p>Philosophers examine even sacred beliefs because no area of belief is considered sacred in the philosophical study of religion. Supporting evidence is required to examine all beliefs, including sacred ones.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is ontology?

<p>The study of being</p> Signup and view all the answers

What are the two ways in which something can exist, according to Anselm?

<p>Something can exist only in our minds and be strictly imaginary, or it can exist in our minds but also in reality.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What approach do philosophers take in the philosophical study of religion, and what does this mean for religious belief?

<p>Philosophers take nothing as a given in the philosophical study of religion, including religious belief. This means that all beliefs, including religious ones, are subject to examination and require evidence to support them.</p> Signup and view all the answers

According to Anselm, why must God exist?

<p>Because any good thing would be better if it existed in reality as well as in our minds.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the conclusion of Anselm's ontological argument?

<p>That God's existence is provable based on the nature of God's being or definition of God.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of the philosophy of religion?

<p>To offer justification for religious beliefs and to understand the influence of religion on history.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why is faith not considered valuable from a philosophical perspective?

<p>Faith is definitionally unprovable.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does the study of the Bible not prove about the truth of a religious belief?

<p>The truth of a religious belief cannot be proven by what is written in a book alone.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the difference between philosophy of religion and religious anthropology or sociology?

<p>Philosophy of religion is concerned with justification for religious beliefs, while religious anthropology or sociology studies the social and cultural aspects of religion.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why is it important for both theists and atheists to pay attention to arguments in the philosophy of religion?

<p>Religion is hugely important in shaping history.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does the author mean when they say 'no one's off the hook' in regards to paying attention to arguments in the philosophy of religion?

<p>Everyone, regardless of their religious beliefs or lack thereof, should pay attention to these arguments.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the parable that John Wisdom came up with in 1944?

<p>The parable is about two people, A and B, who debate the existence of a gardener who they claim takes care of a garden but cannot be detected in any way.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the new area of philosophy introduced in the text?

<p>The new area of philosophy introduced in the text is philosophy of religion.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is Anselm's argument for God's existence?

<p>Anselm's argument for God's existence is that God is the greatest conceivable being and that a being that exists in reality is greater than a being that exists only in the imagination. Therefore, God must exist in reality.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who agreed with Anselm's conclusion about God's existence, but not his argument?

<p>Gaunilo and Kant agreed with Anselm's conclusion about God's existence, but not his argument.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What should one do if they think an argument fails, but still accept the conclusion?

<p>If one thinks an argument fails, but still accepts the conclusion, they should look for a better argument in favor of their conclusion.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the company sponsoring Crash Course Philosophy and what do they do?

<p>The company sponsoring Crash Course Philosophy is Squarespace, which helps to create websites, blogs, or online stores for individuals and businesses without requiring coding skills.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is Anselm's argument and how does it assume the conclusion?

<p>Anselm's argument for the existence of God is based on the idea of a necessary being. He assumes that God exists by defining him as a being that must exist. This assumption is what begs the question.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is Immanuel Kant's objection to Anselm's argument?

<p>Kant's objection is that existence is not a predicate. It cannot be used as a defining characteristic or added to the essence of a subject to prove its existence.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is John Wisdom's Parable of The Invisible Gardener?

<p>The Parable of The Invisible Gardener is a thought exercise that questions the validity of claims that cannot be tested or verified. It asks whether a claim that cannot be distinguished from its opposite is meaningful at all.</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does the Parable of The Invisible Gardener relate to the ontological argument?

<p>The Parable of The Invisible Gardener is similar to the ontological argument in that it questions the validity of claims that cannot be tested or verified. It challenges the assumption that the existence of God can be proven through reason alone.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a fallacy and how does it relate to arguments?

<p>A fallacy is a flaw in reasoning that weakens or destroys an argument. It is a mistake in the logic used to support a claim.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the issue with using predicates to prove existence according to Kant?

<p>Kant argues that predicates can add to the essence of a subject, but they cannot be used to prove its existence. Existence is not a predicate that can be added to a subject to prove that it exists.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is Anselm's argument for the existence of God?

<p>Anselm's argument is that God is defined as the greatest thing we can think of, and since things that exist in reality are better than things that exist only in our imagination, God must exist in reality.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who was Gaunilo and what was his objection to Anselm's argument?

<p>Gaunilo was a French monk and contemporary of Anselm. His objection was that the same line of reasoning could be used to prove the existence of anything we can imagine, which doesn't necessarily make it real.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the fallacy known as begging the question and how does it relate to Anselm's argument?

<p>Begging the question is a fallacy where the conclusion is assumed in the premise. Anselm's argument assumes that God exists in reality because he is defined as the greatest thing imaginable, which is the conclusion he is trying to prove.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why does Anselm claim that his argument only works for necessary beings?

<p>Anselm claims that his argument only works for necessary beings because there can only be one necessary being, and that being is God.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the problem with using Anselm's argument to prove the existence of anything we can imagine?

<p>The problem is that just because we can imagine something doesn't mean it exists in reality. The argument assumes that things that exist in reality are better than things that exist only in our imagination, which is not necessarily true.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the counterargument to Anselm's claim that God must exist in reality because he is the greatest thing imaginable?

<p>The counterargument is that greatness is subjective and depends on individual preferences, so what one person considers the greatest thing imaginable may not be the same for another person.</p> Signup and view all the answers

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Study Notes

Ontological Argument

  • The ontological argument is a philosophical argument for the existence of God, presented by Anselm of Canterbury.
  • It claims that God's existence can be deduced from the concept of God as a maximally great being.

Anselm's Definition of God

  • Anselm defines God as a being than which no greater can be conceived.

Key Facts About the Ontological Argument

  • The argument assumes that God exists in the understanding, and from this, it concludes that God exists in reality.
  • It is important for a maximally great being to exist in every possible world because existence in reality is a great-making property.

Arthur Schopenhauer's Description

  • Arthur Schopenhauer described the ontological argument as a "sophistical trick" that tries to extract reality from mere concepts.

Possible Worlds

  • Possible worlds are used to consider the idea that a maximally great being must exist in every possible world, including the actual one.

Criticisms of the Ontological Argument

  • The argument fails if the concept of God is contradictory or incoherent.
  • The idea of a maximally great pizza is not like the idea of a maximally great being because it lacks existence in reality, which is a great-making property.
  • The issue with the idea of a maximally great pizza is that it does not have the property of existence in reality, which is a necessary condition for a maximally great being.

Philosophical Study of Religion

  • The philosophical study of religion examines religious beliefs and arguments, including the ontological argument.
  • Theology, on the other hand, assumes the existence of God and explores the nature of God and religious beliefs.
  • Philosophers examine even sacred beliefs to support them with rational arguments.

Ontology

  • Ontology is the branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of existence and what exists.

Anselm's Argument

  • Anselm's argument assumes that God exists in the understanding, and from this, it concludes that God exists in reality.
  • Immanuel Kant objected to Anselm's argument, claiming that existence is not a predicate that can be used to prove existence.

John Wisdom's Parable

  • John Wisdom's Parable of The Invisible Gardener is a thought experiment that challenges the idea that we can prove the existence of something based on its concept.

Fallacies and Arguments

  • A fallacy is a mistake in an argument that makes it invalid.
  • The ontological argument is often criticized for committing the fallacy of begging the question.

Gaunilo's Objection

  • Gaunilo, a contemporary of Anselm, objected to the ontological argument, claiming that it could be used to prove the existence of anything we can imagine.

Conclusion

  • The ontological argument is a significant contribution to the philosophy of religion, and its criticisms and responses have shaped the field.

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