Ep 2. Anselm's Ontological Argument
Description
The idea of God; the generation if the idea of a beneficial God, and the fact that the idea of God itself exists.
Anselm of Canterbury was a philosopher in the 11th century, he is most famous for his book the “Proslogion.” In it, he wrote an ontological argument that has several parts, It is worded like a prayer in the Proslogion, but I’ll summarize it in simpler words here. First, he states that God can be defined as a supreme being, to have that idea in the mind. All people think of God in this way because it is the definition. Because the idea of God exists, and a concept that is in reality, is greater than that only in the mind, in order for God to truly be the greatest, He must exist.
To explore this topic I did some footwork, I spoke to friends, professors, and of course, my Dad.
First, I spoke to Anna Elder, a friend from one of my classes. I asked her some silly questions about Santa Clause, but this was an example of the type of argument Khant did to attempt to combat Anselm's Ontological Argument.
The last time I spoke to Dr. James T. Turner, a philosophy professor at Anderson University, he told me this argument was his favorite. Although pretty confusing to read, Dr. Turner made this easier to understand with great examples
Finally, I spoke to my dad, Dr. Ethan Brown, who introduced me to this argument. Although complicated, we worked together to solidify an understanding of this philosophy mind game.
This argument has reaffirmed my belief in the necessity of a God. If this argument helped you too, let me know by leaving a 5-star review and share it with a friend you think needs to hear this podcast!
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