Rethinking Anselm's Arguments, A Vindication of his Proof of the Existence of God.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Richard Campbell

Series:

Anselm Studies and Texts 1.

Anselm studies and texts ; Volume 1, 2468-4333

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Anselm, Saint, Archbishop of Canterbury, 1033-1109. Proslogion.

Anselm.

Anselm, Saint, Archbishop of Canterbury, 1033-1109. Liber apologeticus.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xii, 535 pages).

Place of Publication:

Leiden, Boston: Brill, 2018.

Summary:

This book re-examines Anselm’s famous arguments for the existence of God in his Proslogion , and in his Reply . It demonstrates how he validly deduces from plausible premises that God so truly exists that He could not be thought not to exist. Most commentators, ancient and modern, wrongly located his argument in a passage which is not about God at all. It becomes evident that, consequently, much contemporary criticism is based on misreading and misunderstanding his text. It reconstructs his reasoning through three distinct but logically connected stages. It shows that, even if Anselm’s crucial premises are sceptically interpreted, his conclusions still follow. Properly understood, this argument is not vulnerable to the standard criticisms, including Gaunilo’s ‘Lost island’ counter-example.

Contents:

Front Matter

Copyright page

Dedication

Preface / R.J.C.

Introduction

The Text of Proslogion 2–4

The Structure of Anselm’s Argument for the Existence of God

The First Stage: Being in the Understanding

The First Stage: Being in Reality

The Transition to the Second Stage: Deducing its Premise

The Second Stage: Existing Intensely

The Third Stage: The Existence of God

The Fool and His Defenders

Anselm’s Other Arguments

The Plausibility of the Premises

The Character of the Argument

The Quest Continues

The Inferences in Anselm’s 3-Stage Argument

Back Matter

References

Index.

ISBN:

90-04-36366-1

Publisher Number:

10.1163/9789004363663 DOI