The Existence Of God
There are various forms of arguments for the existence of God. Two such arguments are the Ontological and Cosmological arguments. Both the Ontological and Cosmological arguments have their strengths and weaknesses. However, they have been criticized by Immanuel Kant because he disagrees with both arguments. St. Anselm, Rene Descartes, St. Thomas Aquinas and Immanuel Kant all believe in the existence of God, but their theory on his existence differs.
St. Anselm's point of view is one basis for the Ontological argument. St. Anselm believes in God but wants to give a rational explanation of God's existence. He said "God is that, than which nothing greater can be conceived. Even a fool who doesn't believe in God can understand that." God must exist in reality as well as in the mind. It is greater to exist than to not exist. Since we have a working notion of God it would be a contradiction to say God does not exist. Infinite being necessarily exists. It has to exist due to its nature. However, contingent being requires specific evidence or experience. In the single case of God, its notion is enough to guarantee his existence. He says in "Proslogium" "God is whatever it is better to be than not to be; and he, as the only self-existent being, creates all things from nothing." (St. Anselm 79)
Rene Descartes' theory is another basis for the Ontological argument. His theory states that God is a necessary deduction from the data of pure reason. He moves by a means of clear and distinct ideas. Concept of God contains real existence. He says in "Meditations V"
"And not only do I know these things with distinctness when I consider them in general, but, likewise [however little I apply my attention to the matter], I discover an infinitude of particulars respecting numbers, figures, movements, and other such things, whose truth is so manifest, and so well accords with my nature, that when I begin to discover them, it seems to me that I...
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