文档介绍：: Problems of Philosophy
Prof. Sally Haslanger
September 10, 2001
The Ontological Argument
The Question (and framework for answers)
Does God exist? (We will be assuming a philosophical/theological conception of God as a perfect being­this god's
perfections include: omnipotence, omniscience, and perfect goodness.)
Theist: Yes, God exists.
rational theism: There is a rational basis (sound reasons) for belief in God
arational theism/fideism: There is no rational basis (sound reasons) for belief in God, but believe anyway
(without reasons).
irrational theism: There is a rational basis (sound reasons) for believing that God doesn't exist, but believe
in God anyway (contrary to reasons).
Atheist: No, God doesn't exist.
Agnostic: Don't know (or: doesn't believe either that God exists or doesn't exist.).
Arguments for God's Existence
Rational Theism seeks to provide arguments for the existence of God, .,
Cosmological Argument: Everything is either a dependent being or an independent (self-existent/self-caused) being; not
everything is dependent; so, something (=God) is independent (self-existent/self-caused).
Teleological Argument/Argument from Design: The best explanation of the world's order and systematicity is the
hypothesis that it was designed by a perfect designer; so there is a perfect designer (=God) responsible