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Prof. McCoige on St. Anselm's Ontological Argument
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In this video I briefly discuss St. Anselm's ontological argument for the existence (and nature) of God. Of course, this is only a brief description, and if you would like to explore the argument in more depth, I encourage you to read it for yourself, as well as the many in-depth commentaries that have been written on the subject.
"Therefore, Lord, you who grant understanding to faith, grant that, insofar as you exist as we believe you exist, that you are what we believe you to be. Now that we believe that you are something than which nothing greater can be thought. So can it be said that no such nature exists, since 'The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God,"' (Psalm 14:1; 53:1)? But when this same fool hears me say 'something than which nothing greater can be thought,' he surely understands what he hears; and what he understands exists in his understanding, even if he does not understand that it exists [in reality]. For it is one thing for an object to exist in the understanding and quite another to understand that the object exists [in reality]. When a painter, for example, thinks out in advance what he is going to paint, he has it in his understanding, but he does not yet understand that it exists, since he has not yet painted it. But once he has painted it, he both has it in his understanding and understands that it exists because he has now painted it. So even the fool must admit that something than which nothing greater can be thought exists at least in his understanding, since he understands this when he hears it, and whatever is understood exists in the understanding. For if it exists only in the understanding, it can be thought to exist in reality as well, which is greater. So if that than which a greater cannot be thought exists only in the understanding, then that than which a greater cannot be thought is that than which a greater can be thought. But that is clearly impossible. Therefore, there is no doubt that something than which a greater cannot be thought exists both in the understanding and in reality." (quoted from Anselm's "Proslogion", chapter 2, translated by Dr. Thomas Williams, published by Hackett Publishing, 2001).
"Therefore, Lord, you who grant understanding to faith, grant that, insofar as you exist as we believe you exist, that you are what we believe you to be. Now that we believe that you are something than which nothing greater can be thought. So can it be said that no such nature exists, since 'The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God,"' (Psalm 14:1; 53:1)? But when this same fool hears me say 'something than which nothing greater can be thought,' he surely understands what he hears; and what he understands exists in his understanding, even if he does not understand that it exists [in reality]. For it is one thing for an object to exist in the understanding and quite another to understand that the object exists [in reality]. When a painter, for example, thinks out in advance what he is going to paint, he has it in his understanding, but he does not yet understand that it exists, since he has not yet painted it. But once he has painted it, he both has it in his understanding and understands that it exists because he has now painted it. So even the fool must admit that something than which nothing greater can be thought exists at least in his understanding, since he understands this when he hears it, and whatever is understood exists in the understanding. For if it exists only in the understanding, it can be thought to exist in reality as well, which is greater. So if that than which a greater cannot be thought exists only in the understanding, then that than which a greater cannot be thought is that than which a greater can be thought. But that is clearly impossible. Therefore, there is no doubt that something than which a greater cannot be thought exists both in the understanding and in reality." (quoted from Anselm's "Proslogion", chapter 2, translated by Dr. Thomas Williams, published by Hackett Publishing, 2001).
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