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Lecture 03 Notes

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Introduction to Philosophy of Religion and Ontological Argument

Philosophy of Religion: Preliminary Issues

  1. Agreement vs. Tolerance
    1. Agreement is not required for tolerance; people who have different beliefs can disagree while still tolerating one another.
    2. Different religions ARE incompatible.  There is genuine disagreement between religions. 
    3. Religious claims aren't true FOR individuals.  There are objective truths about religious claims.
  2. Reason and Faith
    1. Unusual standards for belief.  In most areas, we expect people to have objective reasons for their beliefs.  But in the case of religion, we seem to think it is okay to hold religious beliefs without reasons (or objective reasons). For example, people sometimes say they are religious just because it gives their life meaning (and not because they have any evidence of God's existence).
    2. Recent trends go against western tradition.  For example, Aquinas offered arguments for Christian faith.
    3. Classic Trinity of Arguments For Belief In God:
       
      • Ontological Argument
      • Cosmological Argument
      • Teleological Argument
       
     

The Ontological Argument: Background Concepts, Ideas, and Distinctions (Rowe's Analysis)
  1. A Priori and A Posteriori Arguments
    1. A Priori Arguments--Arguments with premises that are not based on what is observed.  Mathematical proofs are a priori. 
    2. A Posteriori Arguments--Arguments with premises that are based on what is observed.  Most scientific claims are a posteriori 
  2. Existing vs. Non-Existing Things
    1. Example of An Existing Thing--Mount Everest
    2. Example of A Non-Existing Thing--The Fountain of Youth
  3. Possible vs. Impossible vs. Necessary Things
    1. Possible Things--Things that either exist or could exist but do not (ex. unicorns)
    2. Impossible Things--Things that could not exist (ex. round squares)
    3. Necessary Things--Things that must exist (ex. God?, the universe?)
  4. Existence in Reality vs. Existence in Understanding
    1. Examples of Things with Existence in Reality--An undiscovered planet, George Bush
    2. Examples of Things with Existence in the Understanding (the Mind)--Sherlock Holmes, George Bush
    3. Note--Some things exist only in reality and not in the understanding (e.g., the undiscovered planet).  Some things exist only in the understanding and not in reality (e.g., Sherlock Holmes).  Some things exist in both (e.g., Mt. Everest).
  5. Perfections
    1. Perfections--"Great-Making" Qualities; properties that make something better.
    2. Key Idea for the Ontological Argument: Existence in Reality is a Perfection
  6. "Reductio ad Absurdum" Argument
    1. In a reductio ad absurdum argument, you assume the negation of the conclusion for the sake of argument.
    2. Then you show that the negation of the conclusion leads to a contradiction, suggesting the negation of the conclusion is false.
  7. Anselm's Definition of God
    1. God: The Being Than Which No Greater is Possible
    2. This definition of God has historical roots and is in keeping with Western theism.

The Ontological Argument
  1. God Exists In The Understanding
    1. This is the first premise.
    2. Even atheists allow for this premise.
  2. God Is A Possible Being
    1. This is the second premise.
    2. Even atheists allow for this premise.
  3. If Something Exists Only In The Understanding And Could Have Existed In Reality, Then It Could Have Been Greater Than It Is
    1. This is the third premise.
    2. This is a natural assumption.
    3. Date Example--Suppose that your roommate wants to set you up on a blind date.  She describes the blind date as a handsome, intelligent, wealthy guy who spends his free time helping underprivileged children.  On top of all of this, he is funny and friendly and has a great personality.  The one catch is that he only exists in the understanding; he doesn't exist in reality.  It is natural to assume that while this guy sounds pretty great, he would have been greater if he would have existed in reality as well as the understanding.
  4. Suppose God Exists Only In The Understanding
    1. Reductio Premise
    2. The reductio premise assumes the opposite of what Anselm is trying to show, namely, that God exists in reality as well as the understanding.
    3. He will then show that given premises 1, 2, and 3, this reductio premise leads to a contradiction and therefore must be false.
  5. Then God Might Have Been Greater Than He Actually Is (follows from 1, 2, 3, & 4)
  6. God Is A Being Than Which A Greater Is Possible (follows from 5)
  7. The Being Than Which No Greater Is Possible Is A Being Than Which A Greater Is Possible (follows from 6)
    1. Restates 6 substituting Anselm's definition of God for 'God'
    2. Key Point: This is a Contradiction
  8. It Must Be False That God Exists Only In The Understanding
    1. Rejection of 4 (The claim that God exists only in the understanding.)
    2. If 1, 2, & 3 are obvious and 5, 6, 7 follow directly from prior premises, 4 must be wrong!!!
  9. Therefore, God Exists In Reality As Well As Understanding (1 & 8)
    1. Follows directly from 1 & 8
    2. Establishes that God Really Exists!!!

Copyright 2008, by the Contributing Authors. Cite/attribute Resource. administrator. (2006, September 19). Lecture 03 Notes. Retrieved August 20, 2008, from Notre Dame OpenCourseWare Web site: http://ocw.nd.edu/philosophy/introduction-to-philosophy-2/Lecture%2003%20Notes.html. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. Creative Commons License
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