Questions tagged [ontological-argument]
47 questions
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Where is the weakness in the ontological proof for God's existence?
I read the ontological proof for God's existence. As much as I understood, it says that if you consider that existence is part of essence, then the most complete essence should also exist.
Now, I see that as a perfect, flawless argument, on the…
Saeed Neamati
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How do I go from ◊∃x□[∃y(y=x) ∧ Mx] to ∃x□[∃y(y=x) ∧ Mx]?
I've been thinking about the ontological argument recently. I'm trying to go from
◊∃x□[∃y(y=x) ∧ Mx]
to
∃x□[∃y(y=x) ∧ Mx]
I choose that formulation because that seems to express x having the property of necessary existence and essential…
Dante Alighieri
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What does Kant mean by "Existence is not a predicate"?
What does Kant mean by "Existence is not a predicate"?
How does that invalidate the ontological arguments? and how can he show that it's not a predicate?
By predicate, I think he means a "property" of the entity, for example, the predicate of…
Fawzy Hegab
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How can being able to conceive of something "perfect" imply its existence?
In this question and reading about the ontological argument elsewhere I have discovered that there is (and has been) a lot of discussion about it, and that it was taken very seriously.
Can someone explain to me how thinking about something perfect…
Vinko Vrsalovic
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7
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Why do scholars not consider Avicenna's "proof of the truthful" to be the first ontological argument?
Scholars seem to believe that Anselm's Proslogion lays down the first ontological argument, at least in the West. I also understand that there is a debate whether Avicenna's "proof of the truthful" should be considered the first ontological proof…
user4281
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What is the explanation for inferring existence in every possible world from existence in some in Plantinga's Ontological Argument?
I found the following version of the Ontological Argument online (I'm pretty certain its Plantinga's but I couldn't find an exact source). Here is how it goes:
It is possible that a maximally great being exists.
If it is possible that a maximally…
Jordan Goulet
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Are there any ontological arguments outside the canon of Western philosophy/scholastic theology?
The question pretty much explains itself. I'm interested in instances of ontological arguments (arguments purporting to prove the existence of God/Gods/a God) outside the Western tradition and/or outside scholastic theology.
To explain what is not…
Chuck
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Is there any ackonowledgement and solution for the objection raised on ontological argument using problem of evil?
Ontological Argument, in its initial verison as presented by Anselm of Canterbury is as follows,
The first ontological argument in Western Christian tradition[i] was
proposed by Saint Anselm of Canterbury in his 1078 work, Proslogion
(Latin:…
Wtjtykajwy
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What arguments are there for the existence of a personal God?
Classical arguments for God's existence, like ontological, cosmological, teleological, etc., only derive the existence of something very abstract, greatest entity, first cause, etc., which is then "magically" identified with some familiar God…
anon
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Is the proof for the God's existence of Harvey Friedman correct?
Recently, the Prof. Harvey Friedman published a paper in which he proves the existence of God starting from the consistency of the mathematics. Does someone know if this proof has been refuted or it can be considered the last word in the ontological…
Riccardo.Alestra
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4
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How many equivalence classes does the accessiblity relation have in S5?
I'm a math student taking philosophy classes.
So I have some math background but am absolutely unfamiliar with metaphysics&c.
Recently I've come around the "Nothing Is Impossible" paper as a part of that course.
The author is only constrained by…
Serge Kozlukov
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Does this modal ontological argument prove the existence of God?
What are some objections to this form of the argument? It seems like the only premise that can be disputed is premise 1, but nobody has successfully disproven the possibility of a maximally great being.
It's possible that a maximally great being…
ILoveJesus
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What makes Leibniz's definition of perfection unintelligible?
Leibniz defined a perfection as a simple, positive quality in the highest degree.
Norman Malcolm says
I do not find his definition of a perfection intelligible. For one thing, it assumes that certain qualities or attributes are "positive" in…
MCL
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Does Descartes conclude that imperfection implies perfection?
In the third meditation, does Descartes' knowledge of his limitations, or his imperfections, lead to his conclusion that there must be something limitless, something perfect?
In his third meditation, Descartes decides that he has an idea of some…
SwabianOrtolan
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What's to stop you from plugging in something else like a necessary being in the Modal Ontological argument?
I was looking at the Modal Ontological argument and I was wondering what stops the argument from not working when we plug in another necessary being. Such as a necessary unicorn. So the argument looks like:
a necessary unicorn is possible.
if a…
Firebirdofnercy
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