Third Paper: Philosophical Argument Analysis: Metaphysics, Epistemology, Axiology (Ethics/Aesthetics)
“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain an idea without accepting it.”
–Aristotle
You must follow all of the instructions to get all of the points.
Assignment: Evaluate the “Ontological Argument” based on the three main division of philosophy
Ontological Argument: In which the existence of God is proved based on the nature of his being.
Anselm’s (1033-1109AD) argument rests on the following five premises:
Premise 1: It is possible to conceive of a being than which nothing greater can be conceived, namely God.
Premise 2: It is possible to conceive of a being that must exist, that is, a necessary being.
Premise 3: It is possible to conceive of a being that may not exist, that is, a contingent being.
Premise 4: A necessary being [one without any cause] is greater than a contingent being [one that has been caused].
Premise 5: Since God is a being than which nothing greater can be conceived and a necessary being is greater than a contingent being, God is a necessary being.
Conclusion: Therefore God exists.
Whether or not you agree or disagree with the conclusion does not matter. What matters here is that you demonstrate an assessment of the argument. Does the conclusion follow from the premises? Explain. If you find the conclusion weak (not persuasive) then you must identify which premise(s) you think are at fault and why? If you find the conclusion to be strong (persuasive) then you must explain which premise(s) you think are best and why?
Watch these videos to get some guidance on what I mean:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIO-COim9T8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pP8dWURrEF0
Work out your analysis of the argument in the following three parts (your paper should have at least these sections). Label each of the following with section headings in your paper:
- What is the metaphysics behind the argument, i.e., what metaphysical assumptions does it make? How does these assumptions relate to the validity and soundness of the argument? (15 points)
- Hint: think about how the argument relates to ontology?
- Consult this source: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/metaphysics/
- What is the epistemology of the argument, what epistemological assumptions does the argument maintain? How does these assumptions relate to the validity and soundness of the argument? (15 points)
- Hint: how does the argument relate to human knowledge?
- Consult this link: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/epistemology/
- How does the argument relate to axiology? How does this relation to ethics or the study of values relate to the validity or soundness of the argument? (15 points)
- Hint: How is the argument related to the distinction between right and wrong, good and bad, or is it about what is beautiful or ugly?
- Check out this for help defining the term: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/value-theory/
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