St. Anselm's Argument for the Existence of God

Paper Summary:

This paper begins with a summary and explanation of St. Anselm's ontological argument for the existence of God. The paper then takes a look at rebuttals to his argument presented by such famous thinkers as Rene Descartes, St. Thomas Aquinas and David Hume.

From the Paper:

"St. Anselm's ontological argument for the existence of God makes an appeal to pure reasoning, priori, without empirical evidence of any sort. St. Anselm's argument begins with a reference to fool in Psalms 53:1. St. Anselm asserts that even the fool is convinced that something exists in the understanding at least, than which nothing greater can be conceived. He claims that merely by analyzing the concept of God, we can deduce that God exists. St. Anselm's stresses that God is the greatest conceivable being, "a being than which none greater can be conceived." St. Anselm's concept is logical and understandable because it is intelligible, God exists in the understanding. St. Anselm's argument goes onto state that a being that exists merely in the understanding is not as great as a being that exists in reality as well. So a being that exists in the understanding alone is not the greatest conceivable being. "

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