Questions on Anselm's and Gaunilo's Defining God - Paper Example

What does Anselm mean by defining God as "that than which nothing greater can be conceived?" How does such a definition work in his argument? Explain the argument that Anselm is making to a smart high school student. Be sure to keep in mind that he is trying to prove that God exists?

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Anselm implies that God cannot be reasoned out of existence with that being God by which that can be reasoned out of existence is not God. The argument indicates that the existence of God can be deduced from his description.

When explaining the concept to a smart high school student, I would employ the following premises.

It is an abstract reality that God refers to existence than which can be visualized to the greatest extent

The existence of God is a concept that is present in the mind

The existence of a being in both the mind and reality in regards to other factors being equalized is perceived to be grander when compared to a being whose only existence is found in the mind.

Therefore if the existence of God is only present in mind then it can be perceived that there exists another being who is greater than him.

Be that as it may, it would be self-contradictory to perceive that there exists a being that is grander than God.

Hence, God definitely exists.

What is the main point of contention between Anselm and Gaunilo?. Do you think that Gaunilo's arguments are effective against Anselm? Why?

Gaunilo argues that there is no God and that he needs to be aware the existence of something that Gods existence cannot be possible without it. Anselm uses the perspective that the existence of a being in both the mind and reality is perceived to be grander when compared to a being whose only existence is found in the mind.

Questions for Aquinas

How does one argue by reductio ad absurdum? Explain how a reductio ad absurdum argument works by explaining an example.

It entails disapproving an assertion by illustrating that it results in an impractical conclusion. A good example is a statement, if everyone were rich, the world would be a better place. The first step is to assume that the premise is correct. If the statement was true, then it means there would be no people working in the fields as rich people prefer leading luxurious lives, there would be unhealthy competition in the economy such that money would lose its value and eventually people leading miserable lives. Therefore, since the lives of people would be miserable, then it is false to assert that if everyone were rich, the world would be a better place.

What is Aquinas's argument for the conclusion that there must be a first cause. Explain argument by analogy. Give an example of an argument by analogy other than one involving God, and show how the argument fits into the form of an analogy. How is the Fifth Way an argument from analogy?

Aquinas argument is that a sequence of events exists; the events are caused rather than uncaused, and hence there should be a being that causes the occurrence of the events. Argument by analogy entails making an argument by comparing two entities that are similar by which the truth found in one also applies to the other. For example, the plot of the book, Lord of the Rings, is exciting and hence the film should also be exciting. The fifth way presents the argument that presence of an event can be reasoned out by the existence of a being who controls the beginning to the end of an event. The reasoning is an example of an argument by analogy by which the existence of the event implies that there exists a being that causes it.

Bibliography

Anselm, Proslogion, 4, tr. M. J. Charlesworth, in Anselm of Canterbury: The Major Works, ed. Brian Davies and Gillian Rosemary Evans, translation by (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998), 89.