Is God Just an Idea?

As far as I’m concerned, reason does not dictate our faith, though there may be some influence, and faith cannot be reasoned. But not everyone agrees. Here is Anselm’s ontological argument for the existence of the Christian God:

“… it is possible to think that something exists that cannot be thought not to exist, and such a being is greater than one that can be thought not to exist.  Therefore, if that than which a greater cannot be thought can be thought not to exist, then that than which a greater cannot be thought is not that than which a greater cannot be thought; and this is a contradiction.  So that than which a greater cannot be thought exists so truly that it cannot be thought not to exist.” (Anselm, trans. Williams)

Basically he argues that something that exists in reality is greater than something that exists in the understanding alone (that’s debatable).  And because God is something than which nothing greater can be conceived, God cannot exist only in the understanding; he must also exist in reality. If God is that than which nothing greater can be thought to exist, then God cannot be thought to not exist.  Therefore, God must exist in reality.

I keep going back and forth between accepting this argument and objecting to it because I think there’s a difference in ontological status between something that actually exists in reality and the thought of something existing in reality. Obviously I can conceive of some being X existing in my mind. And if I try, I can also conceive of this being X existing in reality.  So, fine, if I grant Anselm the claim that existence is a property that makes something greater, then X in reality is greater than X in my mind. But even so, isn’t this is all only within the realm of my conception?  An existent being X is the of object my thought.  And this object is greater than a nonexistence being X. But I don’t buy that the properties that I attribute to things in my mind have any bearing on the properties of things in reality. Furthermore, if Anselm wants to say that existence is a property, then X in the mind and X in reality must be two different things.

Anyhow, whether this is a sound argument or just crafty word play, Anselm set forth one of the most compelling ontological arguments that has mindfucked us for a millennia.  And I just spent 4 hours reading 4 pages.

*UPDATE*
Mind officially blown.  I just finished read Kant’s critique of Anselm’s argument. Answered everything!!

“Whatever be the content of our conception of an object, it is necessary to go beyond it, if we wish to predicate the existence of an object [or being].  In the case of sensuous objects, this is attained by their connection according to empirical laws with some one of my perceptions; but when it comes to objects of pure thought, there is no means whatever of knowing of their existence, since it would have to be known in a completely a priori manner.  But all our knowledge of existence belongs entirely to the sphere of experience, and although an existence out of this sphere cannot be absolutely declared to be impossible, it is a hypothesis the truth of which we have no means of discovering” (Critique of Pure Reason, trans. Meiklejohn).

God’s existence is a hypothesis we can’t confirm, but that doesn’t take away the possibility of existence.

Win.

Advertisement