Anselm’s Argument for the Existence of God Phil 308, Philosophy of God, Dr. T.

Hoffmann

Anselm of Canterbury, * 1033 in Aosta (Northern Italy, near Mont Blanc), † 1098
1079 Abbot of Bec in Normandy (Northern France), 1093 Archbishop of Canterbury
Content of reading: Anselm, Proslogion,
st
• 1 sentence: cf. fides quaerens intellectum (faith seeking handout p. 1, 1st ¶
understanding).
• 2nd sentence: notion of God = “a being (i.e. something) than which nothing greater can
be conceived” (aliquid quo nihil maius cogitari possit) [= highest conceivable being].
I abbreviate this expression with the Hebrew letter alef: ‫ = אֵל( א‬God)
• 3rd sentence: the “fool” = the atheist.
Content of reading: p. 1, lines 13–26

a being (something)

in the understanding in existence

(mental being) (real being)
Example: a painting that is not Example: a painting that is
yet painted painted with real colors on a
real surface

Applied to the notion of God:

Which of the two is greater?
the notion of ‫ א‬in the < the notion of ‫ א‬in
the understanding
understanding alone (is greater)
and in reality
Anselm’ claim? (lines 25–26) the notion of ‫א‬ → ‫ א‬exists in reality
(implies)

Content of reading: p. 1, lines 27 ff.; p. 2,

line 32 – p. 3, line 14¶
the words of ‫ א‬are
conceived but not the entity signified by ‫ א‬is
understood. understood
[even a parrot could repeat them]

“He who understands that God so exists [i.e. that God is ‫ ]א‬cannot conceive that he does not
exist.” (Proslogion 4, p. 3, lines 13–14)
Anselm’s point is that the idea of a “non-existent-highest-being” makes no sense.
Everything turns on an adequate understanding of the notion of God.
Aquinas’s objection (ST Ia.2.1):
• If we had adequate understanding of what God is, i.e. if we adequately understood his
essence, then we would see how it would be a contradiction for God not to exist.
• Yet we cannot grasp in this life what God is in order to see that God cannot not exist.
⇒ We must see whether God exists starting from his effects—a posteriori, not a priori.