Analyze and discuss St. Anselm’s Ontological Argument for the existence of God

Anslem’s Ontological Argument

Anselm’s Proslogion, from which you read in preparation for this module, presents us with an argument for the existence of God that has widely come to be known as the Ontological Argument. The label, Ontological Argument, isn’t Anselm’s own name for the argument, but it captures the point that Anselm argues from the very idea of the being (Greek: ontos) of God to the necessary existence of God.

Anselm begins by defining what he means by God, namely, the greatest possible being, or in Anselm’s parlance, “that-than- which-nothing-greater-can-be-conceived.” Armed with this understanding of God, Anselm proceeds to offer the following argument (click each link below for additional explanation):

Premise 1: Since the idea of God is not incoherent, then it is conceivable that God exists. In other words, God exists in the understanding.

Premise 2: If God exists in the understanding, then God must also exist in reality.