These three philosophers Anselm, Guanilo along with Thomas Aquinas present their arguments describing the existence of God but not everyone would agree with their view. One philosopher Thomas Aquinas gives the better evidence in opinion because he argues that everything that has breath must have a creator. Aquinas opinion is the only one among these three philosophers that makes sense. God does exist not for what these three philosophers say, but God exists with faith of what the Bible says.
Anselm's argues that he is supposed to seek God with his whole heart, but how can he worship someone he has not seen. Anselm argument is about God's existence, comparing God's, presence to a painting. Anselm argues a painting is a creation that was
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One can agree that God's presence can be seen in the world around us such as the land even though we cannot see God. God exists from faith alone. Jesus says to the disciples blessed is the one who has not seen but still believes in God. God exists because the Bible says he does, for example, the Bible is God's word therefore he exists. A book in the Bible, Jeremiah 9:23-24 says, "Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; 24 but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, who exercises loving kindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things," declares the Lord." This being said, Aquinas offers a better set of arguments than Anselm, because at least he seems to believe in God. Aquinas also makes a better argument than Guanilo's and Anslem. A painting could not be compared to God because if you compare a painter painting to God one is saying God was not there in the first place, but God has always been there from the beginning. A painting could be described as God's creation because God's creation us was not there at the beginning until he created us. The most prominent argument is when Aquinas makes a statement …show more content…
We have to stop to think about what we can do as humans and consider the fact that we were made from dirt an consider that there has to be a God. This is proof enough to the fact that there is a God and he made us. It is our human nature to wrestle with the fact that God does not exist because it is in our nature to think that God does not exist. This is how we get some great philosophers such as Aristotle and Agustin who try their hardest to prove that God does not exist. On the subject of the Big Bang theory, some people who were deeply disturbed, such as Einstein, who wrote privately, "This circumstance of an expanding universe irritates me…To admit such possibilities seems senseless." The big bang theory makes our existence as humans as if it was no big deal to have life running through our
It is no coincidence that Aquinas is so widely regarded at one of the most brilliant christian theologians. I would agree that it makes much more sense that God can not be imagined or thought of. There in lies the mystery of God, and what he is transcends a mind and intellect that he created. It is only with a combination of this logic rooted in faith that we can truly know that God exists through the effects of his omniscience, and all that he has created.
Anselm’s argument can be summarized as, “1. God does not exist. (assumption) 2. By “God,” I mean that, than which no greater can be conceived (NGC). 3. So NGC does not exist. (from 1 and 2) 4. So NGC has being only in my understanding, not also in reality. (from 2 and 3) 5. If NGC were to exist in reality, as well as in my understanding, it would be greater. (from the meaning of “greater”) 6. But then, NGC is not NGC. (from 4 and 5) 7. So, NGC cannot exist only in my understanding. (from 6) 8. So NGC must exist also in reality. (from 5 and 7) 9. So God exists. (from 2 and 8) 10. So God does not exist and God exists. (from 1 to 9) 11. So Premise 1 cannot be true. (by 1 through 10 and the principle of reduction ad absurdum) 12. So God exists. (from 11)” (262). This quote demonstrates how Anselms ontological proof is “God is that, than which no greater can be conceived” in understanding and reality by stating that a contradiction would be made if God didn’t exist in both (262). Aquinas cosmological proof stated that the existence of God could be confirmed in five ways, The Argument- “from Change”, “Efficient Causality”,
In conclusion I am left pretty much in the same place as I have started. It is impossible to prove or disprove the existence of God philosophically. For every philosopher who publishes his or her opinions on the subject, three more are there to tear it down. In the end I think it is best that man does not figure out the answer to this lifelong question. Some things are better left unanswered.
Aquinas’ third way argument states that there has to be something that must exist, which is most likely God. He starts his argument by saying not everything must exist, because things are born and die every single day. By stating this we can jump to the conclusion that if everything need not exist then there would have been a time where there was nothing. But, he goes on, if there was a time when there was nothing, then nothing would exist even today, because something cannot come from nothing. However, our observations tell us that something does exist, therefore there is something that must exist, and Aquinas says that something is God.
There are often many mixed views when discussing God’s existence. In Anselm’s works “The Proslogion” and “Anselm’s Reply to Gaunilo” and Gaunilo’s work the “Reply on Behalf of the Fool”, both of their philosophies on the matter are imparted. Anselm’s logic regarding God is correct as he sustains his argument even when it confronted with criticisms and it is comprehensible.
Another way that St. Anselm's argument differs from other arguments is that it requires that you look at a definition of the concept of God. As Sober says, the definition of an object does not, in itself, prove its existence. Some examples he gives are unicorns and golden...
Have you ever walked 9000 miles? Well Thomas Aquinas did on his travels across Europe. Thomas had a complex childhood and a complex career. Thomas Aquinas has many achievements/accomplishments. History would be totally different without St.Thomas Aquinas. There would be no common law and the United States Government would not be the same without the common law.
The ontological argument argues that if you understand what it means to talk about God, you will see His existence is necessarily true. Anselm defined God as 'that than which nothing greater can be conceived', hence God must exist. Anselm also believed that even atheist had a definition for God even just to disregard his existence; hence God exists in the mind. Anselm said this is so because that which exists in reality is greater than that which exists purely in the mind.
A Philosophical Criticism of Augustine and Aquinas: The Relationship of Soul and Body The relationship of the human soul and physical body is a topic that has mystified philosophers, scholars, scientists, and mankind as a whole for centuries. Human beings, who are always concerned about their place as individuals in this world, have attempted to determine the precise nature or state of the physical form. They are concerned for their well-being in this earthly environment, as well as their spiritual well-being; and most have been perturbed by the suggestion that they cannot escape the wrongs they have committed while in their physical bodies.
Aquinas’s argument believed that even if we were to assume that everybody shared identical concepts of God as a being than which none can be imagined. Aquinas argument also believes that there is no such way that any being can exist without no cause. God is the cause and man is the effect while Anselm’s argument mainly focuses on the mental aspect of the existence of God. Aquinas’s argument focuses on the actuality of God existence while Anselm’s argument focuses on the mentally of the existence of God. Anselm’s argument believes if you understand the existence of God then you basically believe in God. Aquinas rejects the Ontological Argument on the point that human cannot know the nature of God while Anselm’s argument stat
Peter Abelard was a renowned dialectician from 1079 to 1142. He subjected theological doctrines to logical analysis. In other words, he used rational argument to discover truth. Saint Thomas Aquinas, was a believer in the power of reason, giving St. Augustine's theory an alternate approach. He taught in Paris and Italy during the years 1225 to 1274. Both of these new age thinkers changed the way Catholic followers viewed the "natural world."
It is my view that God exists, and I think that Aquinas’ first two ways presents a
As a young child growing up in Jamaica, I often hear people refer to what they do as vocation. It was always jobs that require no formal education such as plumbing or farming and these work were greatly enjoyed by these people. Carpentry for instance was a field that a person chose to do because of the love for it. Nevertheless, these people earned their living through these vocations. My father was a carpenter and yes he did support us by doing what he loved and that was building houses. Was my father fortunate to have found a skill that he liked and got paid for it? He always referred to what he did as a calling and was especially proud because his father was also a carpenter. I do think of teaching in the same manner. In my father’s day I would say that teaching was a vocation but as time changed the words vocation and profession have become compatible. Even though they have become compatible there are certain professions that one should be called to and teaching is one of them. Some people are natural teachers, some have to work hard at it and some just do it for the ...
Anselm’s argument for the existence of God is quite simple. He first proclaims that humans can grasp in their mind “something than which nothing greater can be thought” (Anselm 7). This “something” is an all-perfect God. Then, Anselm states that, if the all-perfect God existed only in thought, then something greater than the the all-perfect God can be conceived, namely, an all-perfect God that exists in reality. And
There are three philosophical positions that argue on the existence of God, whether He really exist or not; the Theism, Atheism and Agnosticism.