Logic of Anselm’s “Ontological proof” Cover Image

Anzelmo „Ontologinio Įrodymo“ Logika
Logic of Anselm’s “Ontological proof”

Author(s): Audronė Dumčienė
Subject(s): Logic, Philosophy of Middle Ages, Existentialism, Analytic Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion, Ontology
Published by: Visuomeninė organizacija »LOGOS«
Keywords: proof; God; a priori; language;

Summary/Abstract: Keeping within the framework of analytic philosophy, the article examines Anselm of Canterbury‘s “ontological proof for God’s existence”, which, according to prevailing view, most clearly reveals specifics of pre-scholastic speculative thought. In the Anglo-Saxon tradition, the question of the logical validity of this proof is a matter of relevance, but this article highlights the aspect of the proof‘s soundness. After all, as it is known, formally correct reasoning can lead to false conclusions, and truth is an absolute value for philosophy, i.e. “love of wisdom”. The article not only attempts to estimate the compliance of “the ontological proof” with today’s standards of rationality, but also aims to clarify to what extent the approaches of an analytical history of philosophy enables us to reveal the intrinsic reason of Medieval thought.

  • Issue Year: 2012
  • Issue No: 72
  • Page Range: 71-80
  • Page Count: 10
  • Language: Lithuanian