The Existence of God

In some ways the arguments for the existence of God combat each other, in asking which one is more convincing. There are two types of arguments, there are empirical arguments along with a rationalistic argument. Anselm, Paley, and Aquinas are the three significant leaders in the philosophy world for finding an argument for the existence of God. The question that is being posed is which is more convincing, Anselm’s rationalistic proof, or the empirical arguments?

First let us see a summary of what each argument entails. First, Anselm. One of the most fascinating arguments that is for an all-perfect God, and this is Anselm’s ontological argument. The main goal of this argument is to show that it is “self-contradictory” to deny that there is a greater being. Ontological arguments are trying to prove the existence of God from the definition of God. This is coming from the concept that if a bachelor were to say, every bachelor is a male, we could apply this concept to the existence of God, and generally imply that God Exists. Though there is one issue with this way of thinking, a bachelor means within the definition that someone is unmarried, whereas with God, there is no proof for the existence of God within his definition. (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

Anselm developed two different versions of his ontological argument, in the classical version of his argument he says

“[Even a] fool, when he hears of… a being than which nothing greater can be conceived… understands what he hears, and what he understands is in his understanding…. and Assuredly that, than which nothing greater can be conceived, cannot exist in understanding along. For suppose it exists in the understanding alone: then it can be conceived to exist in reality;...

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...ip with God we are still built with infirmities that are temptations for sin, and with that we are no longer perfect.

In conclusion, we look at the different arguments proposed by Anselm and his rational reasoning argument, we look at Aquinas with his cosmological argument, and at Paley with his teleological argument. All of these arguments are arguing for the existence of God, and they can all have an effect on people. One person may prefer the rationalistic approach rather than the empirical approach. It matters not what you think is the best argument, because God can use all arguments.

Works Cited

"Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy." Anselm: Ontological Argument for the God’s

Existence.Accessed April 03, 2014. http://www.iep.utm.edu/ont-arg/.

Miller, Ed L., and Jon Jensen. Questions That Matter: An Invitation to Philosophy.

Boston, MA:McGraw-Hill, 2006.