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Catholic Word of the Day: ANSELMIAN ARGUMENT, 12-15-12
CatholicReference.net ^ | 12-15-12 | Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary

Posted on 12/15/2012 12:52:02 PM PST by Salvation

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ANSELMIAN ARGUMENT

The famous argument of St. Anselm (1033-1109) of Canterbury (1033-1109) for the existence of God. It is an argument a priori, drawn from the idea of God rather than a posteriori, from the works of God. Anselm used it to refute the fool who says there is no God (Psalm 13). He argues as follows: We call God a being so great that nothing greater can be conceived. This definition is accepted even by the atheist, who admits that God exists at least in the mind of the believer. But that which is so great that one cannot imagine anything greater, cannot exist only in the mind. why not? Because on this supposition one could think of something greater, namely, the same being existing outside the mind, i.e., in reality. Therefore, God exists both in mind and reality. Anselm's argument depends on the realistic metaphysics of Plato and has been the subject of learned discussion over the centuries.

All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.


TOPICS: Apologetics; Catholic; History; Theology
KEYWORDS: catholic; saints
Existance of God
1 posted on 12/15/2012 12:52:10 PM PST by Salvation
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To: JRandomFreeper; Allegra; BlackVeil; Straight Vermonter; Cronos; SumProVita; AnAmericanMother; ...

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Anselmian Argument

 

 

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2 posted on 12/15/2012 12:55:00 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation

Appropriate to the argument: a spell-checker is useful, but only by definition if it is used. One can imagine the most perfect spell-checker in the world, but it becomes a spell-checker — that is, a thing which actually checks spelling — when it exists outside the imagination.


3 posted on 12/15/2012 1:04:44 PM PST by FredZarguna (Existence of Spellchecker.)
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To: Salvation
As someone has said of the Anselmian argument, you can almost see the rabbit being put into the hat. I think Thomas Aquinas's arguments (5 ways) for the existence of God are much stronger.
4 posted on 12/15/2012 1:45:18 PM PST by JoeFromSidney ( New book: RESISTANCE TO TYRANNY. Buy from Amazon.)
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To: Salvation

I’ve always thought it strange that St. Anselm is noted primarily for his circular Ontological Argument, and his theory of the Atonement, neither of which holds water.


5 posted on 12/15/2012 2:13:04 PM PST by Arthur McGowan (If you're FOR sticking scissors in a baby girl's neck and sucking out her brains, you are PRO-WOMAN!)
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To: JoeFromSidney

One of St. Thomas’s elegant statements is that Anselm was right—the existence of God is self-evident in itself, i.e., to God. But not to us.


6 posted on 12/15/2012 2:17:19 PM PST by Arthur McGowan (If you're FOR sticking scissors in a baby girl's neck and sucking out her brains, you are PRO-WOMAN!)
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To: FredZarguna

OK, existence


7 posted on 12/15/2012 3:53:06 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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