Michelle Chambless
Notes 3/07/02

What does Anselm mean by “greatest?” Most perfect, most real.
Bad arguments- best (value, judgment), something you like the most.
*God--- most real
*Souls Angels
*Physical objects
*Shadows, images, --- least real
Reflections
The power of physical things is less than the power of spiritual things or mental things. Everything an angel or should possess God has infinity. Physical things can’t have any of these properties so they are less than spiritual things, etc.
Perfections or Great-Making property’s: Power-knowledge-goodness-presence So imagine all the great-making properties omni present, all knowing, all powerful, etc and you imagine god. This is what he means by greatest.
[Reference handout for Anslem’s argument]
Greatest conceivable island objection.
If it’s the greatest conceivable island it cannot exist only in the mind because it wouldn’t be the greatest conceivable island-it must exist.
Point is: Something is wrong with Anselm’s argument-would prove anything.
Hume-can’t use definitions of concepts to probe things about reality.
Relations of ideas-a priori --- “apart from sense experience.”
Matters of fact & existence- a posteriori --- “by sense experience.”
Concepts which are contradictory, the object cannot exist. No round squared objects exist.
Kant: Existence is not a property (predicate)
Kant questions grammar – he was one of the first people to do this.
Properties:
Thing: Car- black, 5 yrs old, exists.
Kant says you can’t use the word exists. A thing and its properties exist or they don’t, existence isn’t a property. Kant’s criticism- existence isn’t a property.
After you state your concept see if anything in the word matches up with it. Has to be traceable to a sensory experience. Most philosophers think Kant is right-existence isn’t a property.
A real $100.00 doesn’t contain a penny more than a possible $100.00.
Does this concept exist in reality. Exists-concept is a mental/abstract.
Existing thing has representation in the world.
Revision: If god’s existence is possible-he must exist.