Today’s philosophy is still discussing the ontological dilemma of God’s existence. St. Anselm is one of the first philosophers who tried to solve this task with arguments in an own manner. The central problem with the ontological argument has not changed in the last thousand years, and the debate is still built around the question whether there is the evidence that proves the existence of God.
An Explanation and Discussion of the St. Anselm’s Ontological Argument
St. Anselm tried to clarify whether God exists only in the mind as an idea, or it exists in reality. In his opinion, the argument to prove the existence of God does not require anything else except this argument. St. Anselm defines God as “something than which nothing greater can be conceived” (“Nielsen” 14). If God exists only in the thoughts, then one can imagine something more. But this argument leads to a self-contradiction (Author 128). Therefore, God exists in the mind and the reality. St. Anselm's argument seems so compelling that it would convince all the doubters, not only the existence of God but also show the absurdity of unbelief. St. Anselm's position means to believe in order to understand (“Nielsen” 16). Understanding, according to Anselm, presupposes faith. He believed that the way of understanding God is not the way of intellectual activity. The proof of St. Anselm as any ontological argument is not evidence in the proper sense of the word and leads only to a priori knowledge.
Gaunilo provided another argument, which he builds on the objections of that it is possible to think about anything, but it does not mean that something immediately exists in reality. Thus, one cannot draw a conclusion about the existence of things in this concept. Gaunilo's criticism admits a failure, at least in the context of St. Anselm's thought. To refute his argument, Gaunilo gives the example of an island (“Nielsen” 20). On this objection, Gaunilo notes that the transition from the concept of livelihood is only possible when it comes to God. Hence, God does not exist at the level of ordinary things that people can observe. For St. Anselm, the question of whether God exists is as absurd. Thus, the question of the existence of God, Anselm cannot consider outside the religious experience.
2. An Explanation and Discussion of the Kant’s Responses to Anselm’s Ontological Argument
According to Kant, the source of our ideas, the soul, and God are unknowable and incomprehensible to us rationally (Author 130). It is not available to the theoretical knowledge. The existence of something can be detected only through external experience. The idea of God refers to the concepts of the mind that do not correspond to objects of experience. All that we are accustomed to thinking objects is a product of our activity. Genesis is not a real predicate. Kant says that existence is not a real predicate but existence is a reality (“Nielsen” 24). That is the reality for Kant means material nature and not reality. The reasonable judgment established the relationship between the subject and the predicate of the judgment.
Conclusion
Works Cited
“Nielsen – Does God Exist? Reflections on Disbelief.” July 2010. PowerPoint presentation.
