... by various philosophers were slightly difficult to fully understand, several readings in the textbook were given in which supported the topic that there is a God who exists: First was "the ontological argument" by Saint Anselm of Canterbury, a Christian philosopher. This argument basically stated that because ... first cause, that is itself uncaused or unchanged. This would require some kind of "unconditioned" or "higher" being, which he feels, must be God. A third reading entitled Natural Theology by William Paley implied something had to have designed the universe. Paley pointed out t...

• Word Count: 2697
• Approx Pages: 11
• Grade Level: High School

... or small things like the boiling point of water being just right to sustain natural systems. One of the major champions of the view that only God could create a universe of this complexity is William Paley. Though Paley presented this argument in 1975, Plato was the first to introduce it. The first ... have no other universe to look to and say "look it is imperfect and so much more poorly designed, ours must have been created by God". For all we know this universe is the worst, most imperfect ramshackle in all existence. Secondly as David Hume put it in Dialogues Concerning Natural ... E...

• Word Count: 994
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... by our parents, our church and our society. During this paper we will examine the many rational arguments for and against the existence of God. It is based on the views of some of the great philosophers of our world. COSMOLOGICAL ARGUMENTS is that someone or something must have ... . Although, we can look at these arguments from a different angle by using Thomas Aquinas's "five ways", which he argues for the existence of God. The first three arguments are dependent on the principal that infinite regresses of causes are inconceivable, which means they rely on the "first cause". His ... pr...

• Word Count: 1699
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... a tree or a speech by the president, are different modes of the attribute of thought or extension. A mode is the particular manner which substance, God, or nature assumes. A tree is a mode of extension, and a speech by the president is the mode of thought. But both are basically attributes, ... for Spinoza, imagine an infinitely long list of qualities. Each attribute on this list can be assigned to only one substance or thing. However, God has already been assigned all attributes on the list, and no attributes are left to assign to other substances. Since a substance can't exist if ... ...

• Word Count: 837
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... the larger picture, the demand for knowledge." There are many questions in philosophy, many involving the subject of religion. Does God exist? Should we believe in God? Is belief in God justified? These are just some of the questions attempted to be answered in philosophy. Every philosopher has a different opinion ... was a being that nothing greater could be conceived to exist, that it cannot even be conceived not to exist; then this being has to be God. Therefore, God must exist. St Thomas Aquinas (1226-1274) belonged as a member to the Dominican Order as a university lecturer. He wrot...

• Word Count: 585
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... paper first explores the problem of human perception and then relates it back to the ultimate objective: the different issues concerning the existence of God. Content: How did the world come into existence? Are we here for a purpose? These are the two Big Questions that are ... aspects of religion, which are usually more abstract, are rejected by science. The fundamental debate traces back to the question of whether there is God at all. However, let's suppose that with the perfect calibration of physical laws and constants for the survival of present life forms (regardless ... that what...

• Word Count: 1528
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... The main difference between them of course is the range of the topics considered. Ontological Argument The Ontological Argument, which argues from a definition of God's being to his existence, is the first type of argument we are going to examine. Since this argument was founded by Saint Anslem, we ... will be examining his writings. Saint Anslem starts by defining God as an all-perfect being, or rather as a being containing all conceivable perfections. Now if in addition of possessing all conceivable perfections this being ... clarify or describe a concept, and since existence is neit...

• Word Count: 4014
• Approx Pages: 16
• Grade Level: High School

... exists in reality, rather than in the mind. E.g. A real twenty-pound note is greater than one thousand imaginary twenty pound notes. If God is the greatest thing imaginable, He must exist, for if he didn't, you could imagine something greater - something with all his qualities that ... necessary existence will always be greater than a contingent being, which may or may not have existed. Descartes developed Anselm's argument, but he defines God as, "A supremely perfect being." Descartes began by doubting everything, including truths that he had already previously accepted to be true. He ...

• Word Count: 1799
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... has become the source of much doubt and controversy. What was once certain and surely unquestionable has become the most questioned. The existence of a God has been the topic of fierce debate. This most usually occurring between members of the religious society and, everybody else. As a matter of ... him that which nothing greater can be conceived of, and which cannot be conceived not to exist which we have already defined as God. The second argument for a God comes from St. Tomas Aquinas, who argues for the cosmological point of view. The cosmological argument states that all things in ...

• Word Count: 1182
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... the larger picture, the demand for knowledge." There are many questions in philosophy, many involving the subject of religion. Does God exist? Should we believe in God? Is belief in God justified? These are just some of the questions attempted to be answered in philosophy. Every philosopher has a different opinion ... was a being that nothing greater could be conceived to exist, that it cannot even be conceived not to exist; then this being has to be God. Therefore, God must exist. St Thomas Aquinas (1226-1274) belonged as a member to the Dominican Order as a university lecturer. He wrot...

• Word Count: 587
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... comes "upon the earth" or "after death"." - Friedrich Nietzsche If we look at all religions that exist nowadays, they talk about the existence of a god or gods in some form or other. They are always seen as some sort of higher force looking down on humans, having some power over them. However, ... such gods is denied. Both texts were key books in promoting the idea of Existentialism. This is the belief that there is no all-powerful God and thus, people have the opportunity to do what they like in their existing lives without worrying about the consequences or results in the after life ....

• Word Count: 1692
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... him who is imperfect. Moreover, this perception did not originate from the experiences of the world, nor was this drawn from the senses. Rather, he believes that this perception of God is prior to his own perception, and it could only actually arise from a perfect being. Thus Descartes concludes the only remaining option to be that this perception was innate in ... behind the justifications made by Descartes is related to "free will." Descartes states that the faculty of judgement is not infinite in human beings; human error is not dependent upon God but is rather a mere defect. On the ...

• Word Count: 1315
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... , if infinite goodness exists, it is impossible for evil to exist at all. However, his reply to this objection is also convincing. He says God's omnipotence and goodness are powerful enough to "allow evil to exist, and out of it produce good." The second objection to his philosophy is one ... of nature can be reduced to the principle of nature, nature itself is caused by, and also has caused necessity by, the first cause, or God. I feel Aquinas brought up some very validating arguments in his article. He uses empirical premises to support his theory. He uses paradigms for each ... , he s...

• Word Count: 1431
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... truth impossible. By setting this idea up, Descartes broke everything down that is certain. Then, Descartes built everything back up by there being a certainty of God. He was able to establish that there was a certainty of God by laying a foundation to build on which was an idea. He first said an idea must have a cause, next he said that the cause must ... perfect. If people don't have those presuppositions (i.e. Atheists) then Descartes argument is disregarded because that's the basis around how certainty is achieved. I believe that Descartes argument for the existence of God makes log...

• Word Count: 1300
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... not exist. This is probably the simplest answer to the question, because why would God allow something like this to proceed, if he existed? Also the God we think might not be the real God that exists. Others believed that God had turned his back on humanity (he does not care) and if that ... permitted) the destruction of the Jews, the Gypsies and the other victims. The vengeful God Berkovitz responds by saying that man is to bear the burden of Auschwitz not God. According to Berkowitz, God is not completely exonerated from this, because God "shackles his might so that history may be poss...

• Word Count: 291
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

... greater for a thing to exist in reality than for it to exist in the understanding solely. We are almost forced to conclude that this God, which nothing greater can be imagined, can be conceived to be greater than it is. That does not make sense, so we go back to ... coffee mug exists the image in your mind does not change. This is why, Kant says, existence cannot be a property. When we say, "God exists." We are using "God" as the subject of the sentence, and "exists" as the property of the sentence. According to Kant one would have to say, "The universe ... argument, his third premise s...

• Word Count: 798
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... of this, since something exists now, it must follow logically that something has existed forever. As Sproul has remarked: "Indeed, reason demands that if something exists, either the world or God (or anything else), then something must be self-existent.... There must be a self-existent being of some sort somewhere, or nothing would or could exist." From this we see that ... , the Universe must have had a designer. This form of logical reasoning, and the implications which are in it, have not escaped the attention of those who do not believe in God. Paul Ricci, an atheistic philosopher an...

• Word Count: 2632
• Approx Pages: 11
• Grade Level: High School

... evolutionary existence. People try to reason with the things around them in order to understand the world. Many, for example, ask the question, "If God exists than why is there evil in the world?" Thomas Aquinas, a well known philosopher of the 13th century addresses these questions and many others by ... In the same sense, there has to be some sort of Devine intervention in order for existence. It becomes necessary to have this Devine entity or god because it is known that contingent beings exist today. " Therefore, not all beings are merely possible, but there must exist something the ...

• Word Count: 1348
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... 's presence. But where did it come from? When was it created and who created it? Since God created the world and everything in it, God must have also created Evil. But, why would God do that? Why would this God who loves us unlimitedly and unconditionally who to share with us his kingdom and eternal life create Evil. ... And place us to live on earth with it? Was it a test? Is God playing with us and testing out faith and loyalty? Since it is not an entity, no one created it and thus it has no creator. But where ... does this presence we feel come from? Well, we create it! We created ev...

• Word Count: 423
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... we can conceive does not exist than we can still conceive the greatest thing that does exist, and that would be God. Descartes views God in a similar way to St. Anselm. Descartes sees God as the perfect being while St. Anselm describes God as "that than which nothing greater can be thought." In Descartes "the Argument from Perfection" he reasons that if existence is ... one of the perfections and God has all the perfections, then God must exist. Along with these arguments others in the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic communities have similar views. Cosmological arguments are a posteriori...

• Word Count: 360
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

... it must be looked at from other angles. One famous account is by Thomas Aquinas. He stated that there are five ways to prove the existence of God. They are motion, efficient cause, possibility and necessity, gradation, and governance of the world. The first, motion, asserts that anything moved had to have ... there must be a first mover who sets everything in motion, and what is moved has a purpose and a reason. This first mover must be God who is directing everything towards their potentiality. Efficient cause, in the world of sensible things, says that there must always be something th...

• Word Count: 854
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... been questioned by people since he has been conceived. Many ideas have been proclaimed to prove gods existence but many have been ludicrous. Descartes logic on god's existence has been one of the most read about works by philosophers and I feel to be the most accurate works on gods existence. Descartes tries to prove gods existence in ... looking for a foundation on which he can base all beliefs and know that those beliefs are true. His third mediation proves the existence of god and the external world, although he does not come right out and say god exists he makes several point to sa...

• Word Count: 451
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... really hasn't produced any truth as of yet. Each of the Philosophers we have discussed in class shine just a bit of light on the subject of God, but they seem to just bring enough to the table to make their argument and then excuse themselves, leaving me with a half empty plate. First I"d ... If he did not exist, then he would not be perfect...Assuredly that, than which nothing greater can be conceived cannot exist in understanding alone." Saint Anselm's God is perfect in nature and being. As we discussed in class, we can conceive of a perfect island in our minds but that does not will i...

• Word Count: 902
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... situations. In my paper I will discuss Rene Descartes beliefs, specifically talking about his first principle, dealing with what he thinks. Along with discussing the proof of God's existence which he talks about in the reading. We live in a world where we as individuals, naturally questions things that happen, and go on within our ... taught everything you need to know, in regards to how to live a good/right life, what religion to believe in, and even being taught that God may or may not exist. Philosopher Rene Descartes had questions about the things we experience in our everyday life, ...

• Word Count: 797
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... I will look into the reasons to justify my answer to the questions posed above. Who or what is GOD. God is whom you would call the supreme creator, the all mighty. The concept of there being a GOD is something that the Western world (Western World as in the modern Science and Technology) has been trying to ... through. For them all the things have to be logical, thus to have the universe emerge from absolutely nothing is totally illogical, thus the idea of have a GOD is out of the question. To me the idea of having a supreme creator is crystal clear, however that isn't the case with most ...

• Word Count: 744
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School