Theories of reality
December 5/arguments for/against existence of god.

*2 extra credit assignments:1. attend final exam session thursday @12-1:50 2.write or type out answers to first or second midterms from study guide.*

ONTOLOGICAL ARGUMENT(continued)

St. Anselm:uses reductio ad absurdum(reduce or refine to absurdity)reasoning.
Says that Atheism leads to a contradiction, so theism must be true. If you have two views, and one is contradictory, the other must be true. Atheist says that the greatest conceivable being exists only in the mind, but if god existed only in the mind, he wouldn't be the greatest.

CRITICISMS of Ontological argument.
1. Existence isn't a property. ex: you are buying a car and the sales clerk says, "yeah, this baby is red, it has low miles, it's clean inside, it gets good mileage,it exists. Which one doesn't fit? Clearly the last because existence is not a property.
2.The Paradox of Omnipotence:Can god create a stone so heavy he can't lift it? If yes: then there is something god can't do.(lift stone) If no:then god can't do something else(create the rock)It just doesn't add up.
Malcom says, though, that "if god's existence is possible, then it is actual."
Gaunilo's counter-example: The perfect island(or any other noun)--He says, "using Anselm's argument, I can prove the greatest conceivable island exists, even though it doesn't." Basically, if you can use an argument to prove anything, it proves nothing.
Anselm's response: "God is still greater than anything conceivable."
Q: are greatness, perfection,and existence value judgements?

COSMOLOGICAL ARGUMENT a Posteriori(requires sensation or experience)argument. Causal Argument:see handout from the 3rd.
Criticisms:see handout from the 3rd; Something that a part has doesn't necessarily have to be something that the whole has.

TELOELOGICAL ARGUMENT an argument by analogy.
William Paley: "The universe is like a machine(e.g. a watch). Machines are always the product of an intelligent designer. Therefore, the universe is the product of an intelligent designer.(e.g. God.)
Criticisms: the analogy is weak.(Hume agrees.) -we don't have any experience of universes being created, we only have one case-
Counter-analogy:The universe is like a vegetable, created by seeds, which don't require consciousness or intelligent design to grow. Or, the universe is like an animal, created by pro-creation.

Good luck on the test everybody.