It is a philosophical argument that God exists. While many philosopher's theories had many differences in derivation and reasoning, the conclusion to all ontological arguments was that the superior being of God is a reality.
The ontological argument of the exsitance of god is supported by abrahmic religions. It is not widely practiced in the current day.
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The Ontological Argument
The ontological argument is a philosophical argument for the existence of God that is based on the concept of existence or being. It suggests that the very concept of God being the greatest possible being necessarily implies his existence. This argument has been presented and debated by various philosophers throughout history, such as Anselm of Canterbury and René Descartes.
The ontological argument does not mean that God does not exist it is just an argument based upon the concept of God itself, this topic is a controversial topic and is often led into believing the wrong way one time or another.
The ontological argument is a deductive argument. It aims to prove the existence of God based on the concept of God as a necessary being. It uses logical reasoning to demonstrate that the existence of God is a necessary consequence of the definition of God as a perfect being.
The first philosopher to propose an ontological argument is still up for debate. Some think that Greek philosophers, such as Plato, first argued it. The mainstream view is that the ontological argument was first developed by St. Anselm. Others believe that the Islamic philosopher Avicenna was the first, and may others view the philosopher Descartes as being the first.
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The ontological argument posits that the concept of God as a perfect being necessitates His existence. It argues that if we can conceive of a being that possesses all perfections (including existence), then that being must exist in reality. Critics argue that existence is not a property that adds to the perfection of a being and that the argument relies heavily on the assumption that existence is a predicate.
Aquinas critiques the ontological argument, stating that it is not possible to deduce the existence of God from the concept of a perfect being alone. He argues that we cannot know God's existence simply through reason or definition, but must rely on faith and revelation.
St. Anselm's Ontological Argument concludes that God, defined as "that than which nothing greater can be conceived," must exist in reality and not just in the mind. Anselm argues that if God exists only in the understanding, then a greater being could be conceived to exist in reality, which contradicts the definition of God. Therefore, God must exist in both the mind and in reality, affirming His existence. This argument emphasizes the necessity of God's existence based on the very concept of God itself.
The ontological argument is an argument used to prove the existence of God from premises derived using a priorireasoning, that is, using reason and intuition alone.Some examples of ontological arguments:Avicenna's argument: The universe consists of a chain of definite beings, which can give existence to other things. Similarly, each thing that exists must also have been given existence, or caused, by another thing. This chain of being continues almost infinitely, however, there must have been some initial cause which was not caused by anything else. Essentially, some sort of "uncaused cause". This, he argued, must be a wholly self-sufficient and perfect being, whose existence does not depend on anything else. He determined this being to be God.Descartes' argument: As we understand God to be the most perfect being, he must exist. The reason for this is that a being that exists only in the mind is not as great or as perfect as a being that exists both in the mind and in actuality. Thus, perfection necessitates existence.