Greatest being
The fact that it is impossible to think of something greater than that which is thought to be the greatest places the existence of God as the most powerful and greatest being ever thought. Since nothing else greater than that which is thought to be the greatest thought of; then God (the greatest) exists in reality as well as in understanding. This aspect in Anselm's ideas is the most important because it proves the undeniable evidence of the existence of God (who fits the description of the greatest being ever thought of) to both atheists and believers of God. Anselm clearly indicates that since it is impossible to imagine a more powerful being (whether in thought or reality) than the already described characteristics of God; it is only logical that God is the greatest of all beings ever thought of (Davies & Leftow, 2). Since the existence of God cannot be denied by thought or reality then there is no justifiable and substantial cause for dispute over the very existence. Anselm's achieved in proving the existence of God by demonstrating the importance of faith and human reason as compatible. In his argument, he strove to confirm the fact that the very definition of God, by human reason, proves the existence of the greatest thing ever thought of while denying the existence of any other being that has never been thought of before. Although Anselm's concepts generated debates long after his death, they are logically valid to persuade any reasonable person (whether religious or atheist).
Universals debate
In the debate over universals, I would side with realists because their views are the most logical way of understanding the universe; its order and structure which cannot be defined completely by the human mind. By acknowledging the universal concepts within entities in the universe (as Aquinas pointed out), we acquire and discover a better understanding and knowledge of the reality of the universe we live in. The God, who is responsible for the creation of the universe, is understood and reasoned by the human mind and according to Scotus's doctrine of Primacy of the Will, is the ultimate power ever thought of to exist (whether in thought or reality). The reality of God's existence is not only comprehend-able and reasonable to the human mind to a great extent; but also reflected evidently in the natural universal concepts people encounter daily. The undeniable existence of the greatest thing ever thought of, and the connection the being has with the complexity of nature and the universe makes the 'normalists' arguments (that deny the reality of most existing words and yet accepting the use of these words) pointless and weak. By discovering the connection between God and the Universe, as Aquinas asserts, humans acquire the genuine knowledge of reality. This knowledge is vital in helping humans to interact with the universe that they can comprehend. The more they understand the greatest being as the divine designer of all creation, the more, the more they grasp and simplify the complexity that the universe holds. Moreover, the more humans grasp the behavior, order characteristics of the universe the simpler and orderly their lives become. Realists have, therefore, an upper hand in exploring and utilizing available resources in the universe than normalists who would rather leave things the way they found them.
Work Cited
Shofner, Robert D. Anselm Revisited: A Study on the Role of the Ontological Argument in the Writings of Karl Barth and Charles Hartshorne. Leiden: Brill, 2004. Print.
