Question A
St. Anselm was most famous for the production of his “Ontilogical argument”. This ontological argument was Anselm’s explination and reasoning for God’s existence. There are actually two versions of this argument in Anselm’s Proslogium.
He’s believed to have said that the argument “offered itself” in a burst of insight he considered an answer to prayer. He says that God is the idea of a being that is the greatest conceivable being. If he (God) were to exist in understanding alone, then a being such as one who exists in reality would be greater, but to state that is a contradiction in itself. God by definition is the “greatest conceivable being”. So to have an idea of this being which nothing greater can be conceived, such a being must exists both in one’s understanding and in reality. Therefore, God exists both in understanding and reality.
The second version of the argument is found in Proslogium, chapter 3. This version of the argument, according to most philosophers, but not Anselm, provides a “completely different and perhaps, stronger line of reasoning.” This version states that “necessary existence must be attributed to any being that’s perfect to the maximum degree”. The nonexistence of the greatest possible being cannot be “rationally” conceivable therefore, God necessarily exists. In either version of the argument he explains that to simply raise a question of God’s existence or deny him being the greatest conceivable being, you would be contradicting yourself. The argument attempts to force you to choose between two alternatives. The first being, God exists (and his nonexistence is impossible), or that the concept of God is completely meaningless. Anselm believed that “Since we think of such a being we cannot suppose his existence is an open question”. The entire argument is formed to provide you the rational explination for God’s existence.
St. Thomas Aquinas presented 5 arguments for the existence of God. He refers to...