Argument Essay On Ontological Argument

Ontological Argument

The ontological argument has its major foundations on the words of Desecrates that are clearly spelt out in the Fifth Meditation. The Ontological argument claims that given the fact that it is probable for an individual to derive from his thoughts of something, it follows that the individual has the ability to dictate the characteristics that that certain thing adopts. Following this line of thought, Descartes pointed out that he found in his mind the concept of God, of an almighty perfect being, it naturally follows that in the real sense he has his belonging to the nature of this God (Barnes 23).

If looked at closely, one thing that comes out in the open is that the ontological argument given by Descartes differs from the original explanations of the ontological argument. The model for the majority of conventional deductions is the ontological argument presented by St. Anselm in the Proslogium II. Interpreted loosely, Descartes argument means that his notion of God is that of a superlatively perfect being. In itself, existence is excellence. In reality, God must exist or else the idea that one has about God would lack any form of perfection and as expected this would be illogical. The core of God is confined in the idea of existence just like the essence of a triangle revolves around its three sides (Platinga 11).

Over the years, there have been various interpretations given on what Descartes really meant in his ontological argument. However, most of given interpretations only examines the simple meaning of existence but Descartes arguments looks at existence in relation to the perfection of God. In short, what Descartes is claiming is that there is no any other way that he can examine the context of G...

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...ne that is non-existent, it is based on confusion. As Kant puts it, existence is not predicate, an asset or a substance that can be said to possess or lack certain traits. When individuals point out that God is existent, they are not in the real sense saying that there is an existent God and that he contains the traits of existence (Purtill 297).

Personally, I think that the objection presented by Kant nullifies the ontological argument on the existence of God. Ideally, there has never been any plausible objection to Kant’s opinion that existence is not a property of objects. For this reason, it is impossible to make a comparison of a God that is existent to another that does not exist in any form as Descartes wants us to believe. As Kant points out correctly, a God that does not exist and another that is existent are identical at least in the qualitative sense.