Can We Prove God Exists Essay - 562 Words

Philosophers, whether they are atheists, or believers have always been eager to discuss the existence of God. Some philosophers, such as St Thomas Aquinas, and St Anselm, believe that we have proven that God exists through our senses, logic, and experience. Others such as Soren Kierkegaard, and Holbach, feel that we will never have the answer to this question due to our human limitations, and reason. The believer tends to rely on faith for his belief, and claim they do not need proof in order to believe in the Gods existence. The atheist however, tends to lean more towards common sense and reason, such as science, or the theory of evolution for an answer. The determinalist for example believes that all actions are caused by nature,†¦show more content†¦Without this premises his argument would fail. It must be agreed to, because it is a true statement. You do not have to believe in God in order to agree to these Premises. In agreeing to these first premises, St Anselm forces you to admit that God does exist in reality because his premises support his conclusion. St. Anselms Theory is that if God is that which nothing greater can be conceived, the idea of God must exist, if only in the mind. To exist in reality is greater than existing in the mind (idea). Therefore God, being that which nothing greater can be conceived must exist in reality. All his premises support his conclusion, creating a valid and sound argument proving that God must exist. Many still argue that neither one of these arguments prove Gods existence, because it is impossible for our reason to accept them. In Soren Kierkegaards argument Faith, not Logic is The Basis of Belief, he argues that it is impossible to prove Gods existence because it is beyond our reason as human beings to do so. Kierkegaard classifies the word God under the word unknown. It is impossible for reason to know the unknown, so it is impossible to know, or prove God exists. Kierkegaard also claims that reason on its own does not attempt to prove God exists, he claims that it would be foolish to do so. It would be foolish to do so because reason is from existence, not towards it. Therefore if God does not exist, it would be impossible to prove he does,Show MoreRelatedThe Meditations On First Philosophy By Rene Descartes916 Words   |  4 Pagesabout doubt. Descartes describes his method of doubt to determine whether he can truly know something. One of his major arguments is the proof of the existence of God. In this paper, I will attempt to unravel the flaws in Descartes proof that God exists. In the meditations, Descartes evaluates whether or not everything we know is a reality or a dream. Descartes claims that we can only be sure that our beliefs are true when we clearly and distinctively perceive them to be true. As the reader analyzesRead MoreThe Existence Of God : Ontological Argument Essay1696 Words   |  7 PagesThe question of the existence of God has troubled mankind for thousands of years. Many philosophers and theologians have always searched for prove whether God exists. Many of them constructed valid arguments which support theist believes. The existence of God was once never denied, as His presence, His existence was evident in miracles and the people s faith. But time and the advancement of modern science have called God and His very nature into question. The Perfect Being has become the sourceRead MoreAnselms Existence of God Refuted Essay1110 Words   |  5 PagesAnselms Existence of God Refuted Anselms Existence of God Refuted If the only proofs for the existence of God were Aquinas’s five ways and Anselm’s ontological argument, in my opinion, Anselm provides the best reasoning. I am not saying that Anselm’s argument is good, or even valid, but just that given the set of proofs by Aquinas and Anselm, Anselm’s is better. Anselm argues, in effect, that the existence of God is built into the very concept of God. He proceeds by a form of argumentRead MoreThe Cartesian Circle is Wrong1586 Words   |  7 PagesRene Descartes meditations on the existence of God are very profound, thought-provoking, and engaging. From the meditations focused specifically on the existence of God, Descartes uses the argument that based on his clear and distinct perception that cannot be treated with doubt, God does exist. In the beginning of the third meditation, Descartes proclaims that he is certain he is a thinking thing based on his clear and distinct perception, and he couldn’t be certain unless all clear and distinctRead MoreSt. Thomas Aquinas Essay823 Words   |  4 Pagesused ancient philosophy to prove religious propositions. One of the ancient philosophers that St. Thomas Aquinas used to prove religious facts was Aristotle. One of the greatest works that Aristotle did was to prove that god really exists. St . Thomas Aquinas used the forms that Aristotle and Plato used to prove the same philosophical question, does god really exist? St. Thomas Aquinas, first started by stating, is the existence of God self-evident. Here he states that God because he is self-evidentRead MoreEssay about St. Anselm of Canterbury1110 Words   |  5 Pages In the following I intend to prove that the ontological argument is in and of itself, insufficient in proving that God exists. There are a few problems with the argument that I will be discussing in detail in an attempt to illustrate exactly why ‘The Ontological Argument’ is unsatisfactory. The Definition of ‘Greater’ St. Anselm of Canterbury defined God as â€Å"that-than-which-a-greater-cannot-be-thought† (Bailey, 2002). The problem with this definition is that the term ‘greater’ is surely up forRead More The Ontological Argument Essay1446 Words   |  6 PagesAnselm in his Proslogium, attempts to prove the existence of God simply by the fact that we have a particular concept of God - that God is that than which nothing greater can be conceived. Saint Anselm presents a convincing argument that many people view as the work of a genius. It is also quite often considered a failure because, in William L. Rowes words, In granting that Anselms God is a possible thing we are in fact granting that Anselms God actually exists. In other words, it assumes theRead MoreAssess the Ontological Argument818 Words   |  4 Pagesexistence of God. (30 marks) The ontological argument was first formulated by St. Anselm in the 11th century. It argues the existence of God from a deductive and a priori stance. God is a being than which none greater can be conceived. This is the response given by St Anselm to the fool in the psalm who believed there was no God. St Anselm the Archbishop of Canterbury and of the Benedictine Order explained that for God to exist in the mind he would not be the greatest being. However were God to existRead MoreOntological Argument For The Existence Of God1083 Words   |  5 Pagesexistence of god. His basis of his argument being an analytical breakdown for the reason fot gods exsistence. While also establishing that Anselms inferences found with his use of deduction and logical means to prove the existence of a higher being are indeed true. In addition I will defend Anselms argument by depicting other people’s objections against his argument. Specifically the argument made by Gaunilo, who disagreed with An selms argument and tried to use logical reasoning to prove him wrong.Read MoreThe Possibility of Proving the Existence of God Using Inductive and Deductive Arguments1222 Words   |  5 Pagesthe Existence of God Using Inductive and Deductive Arguments Many philosophers have attempted to prove the existence of God, although there is no argument as yet which proves without any doubt that God exists. A proof is the demonstration that something is true or, in this case, that God exists. There are 3 types of proof; direct, deductive, and inductive. A direct proof is when something is immediately obvious, so therefore, it cannot be used to prove Gods existence