LECTURE 14 WHY IS THERE ANYTHING AT ALL? THE ONTOLOGICAL ARGUMENT

A METAPHYSICAL QUESTION Q: “WHY IS THERE ANYTHING AT ALL, RATHER THAN NOTHING?” (1) EMPTY SPACE IS SOMETHING (NOT NOTHING) (2) A QUANTUM VACUUM IS SOMETHING (NOT NOTHING).

St. Anselm’s Ontological Argument

Benedict Spinoza ( )

Rene Descartes ( )

Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz ( )

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel ( )

Charles Hartshorne ( )

Kurt G ö del ( )

Alvin Plantinga (b. 1932)

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God does not exist in reality but does exist in the understanding. Therefore: We can conceive of a being, GOD, otherwise like God but existing also in reality So, GOD would be greater than God CONTRADICTION !!  

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Immanuel Kant ( ) Existence is not a predicate!

DESCARTES’ VERSION A PERFECT BEING HAS ALL PERFECTIONS. EXISTENCE IS A PERFECTION. \A PERFECT BEING HAS EXISTENCE. \A PERFECT BEING EXISTS ANSWER TO THE QUESTION: Q: “WHY IS THERE ANYTHING AT ALL?” A: “THE STATEMENT THAT THERE IS NOTHING AT ALL IS CONTRADICTORY. THERE HAS TO BE PERFECT BEING.”

THIS VERSION EITHER BEGS THE QUESTION OR IS INVALID BECAUSE OF AN EQUIVOCATION BEGGING THE QUESTION: AN ARGUMENT (OR ARGUER) COMMITS THE FALLACY OF BEGGING THE QUESTION IF ONE OF THE PREMISES OF THE ARGUMENT COULD NOT BE KNOWN (OR REASONABLY BELIEVED) WITHOUT ALREADY KNOWING (OR BELIEVING) THE CONCLUSION.

EQUIVOCATION AN ARGUMENT (OR ARGUER) COMMITS THE FALLACY OF EQUIVOCATION IF THERE IS A SINGLE TERM OR PHRASE THAT IS USED WITH TWO DIFFERENT MEANINGS SO THAT THE ARGUMENT IS INVALID [AND IF WE TRY TO ASSSIGN THE SAME MEANING FOR BOTH TERMS THE ARGUMENT FAILS TO BE COGENT].

“A PERFECT BEING” COMPARE: (1) A SCOUT IS LOYAL. (2) A HOMELESS PERSON ASKED ME FOR MONEY. THE PHRASE “A SCOUT” DOES NOT IMPLY THAT THERE IS A SCOUT (LOYAL OR NOT). THE PHRASE “A HOMELESS PERSON” IMPLIES THAT THERE EXISTS A HOMELESS PERSON (HE ASKED ME FOR MONEY)