Can the existence of God be proved from the definition of God alone, by reason without appeal to the world?
Component 01 Arguments from reason: the ontological argument of Anselm (Proslogion II and III), with Descartes's and Malcolm's developments, together with the criticisms of Gaunilo (the perfect island) and Kant (existence is not a predicate).
An OCR A-Level Religious Studies Component 01 guide to the ontological argument. Covers Anselm's two forms (Proslogion II and III), Descartes's supremely perfect being, Malcolm's necessary existence, and the criticisms of Gaunilo (the perfect island) and Kant (existence is not a predicate), with the AO2 evaluation the exam rewards.
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What this dot point is asking
The ontological argument is OCR's argument from reason (a priori, deductive): it claims God's existence follows from the definition of God alone, without any appeal to the world. You study Anselm's two forms in the Proslogion, the developments by Descartes and Malcolm, and the two classic criticisms, Gaunilo's "perfect island" parody and Kant's "existence is not a predicate". The exam rewards understanding the deductive logic precisely and then evaluating whether you can define something into existence.
The answer
Anselm's first form (Proslogion II)
Anselm's second form (Proslogion III)
Descartes and Malcolm
Gaunilo's criticism
Kant's criticism
Examples in context
Try this
Q1. "The ontological argument is the weakest of the arguments for God's existence." Discuss. [40 marks]
- What the marker wants. An AO2 essay weighing the a priori certainty the argument promises against Gaunilo's parody and Kant's predicate objection, and comparing it with the inductive arguments, reaching a justified conclusion. AO1 out of 25, AO2 out of 15.
Q2. Assess whether Anselm's second form escapes the objections to the first. [40 marks]
- Cue. The second form (and Malcolm) uses necessary existence, which may avoid Kant's point about ordinary existence and Gaunilo's contingent island. Weigh whether the modal version succeeds and judge.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of OCR exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
OCR H573/01 2019 (style)20 marksAssess the strengths of Anselm's ontological argument. (The full OCR tariff for this essay is 40 marks; the worked answer below is scaled to a 20-mark exemplar.)Show worked answer →
A 40-mark Component 01 essay on the six-level scheme (AO1 out of 25, AO2 out of 15). Setting out the argument earns AO1; the higher levels reward judging how strong the strengths remain once the criticisms are weighed.
Explain (AO1). Anselm defines God as "that than which nothing greater can be conceived". A being that exists in reality is greater than one existing only in the mind, so the greatest conceivable being must exist in reality, or a greater could be conceived. His second form argues that necessary existence is greater than contingent, so God exists necessarily.
Strengths (AO2). It is a priori and deductive, so if sound it gives certainty without contested empirical evidence; it captures the logic of a perfect being and a necessary God.
Weaknesses to weigh. Gaunilo's perfect island parodies the form; Kant objects that existence is not a real predicate, so adding existence does not make a concept greater.
Judge. A top answer decides how convincing the strengths remain once these replies are weighed, and concludes with reasons.
OCR H573/01 2022 (style)20 marksCritically assess Kant's objection that existence is not a predicate. (The full OCR tariff for this essay is 40 marks; the worked answer below is scaled to a 20-mark exemplar.)Show worked answer →
A levels-of-response essay testing AO1 understanding of Kant's objection and AO2 evaluation of how decisive it is.
Explain. Kant argues that "exists" adds nothing to the concept of a thing: a hundred real coins contain no more in their concept than a hundred imagined ones. So existence is not a real predicate or perfection, and cannot be part of what makes God the greatest conceivable being. Defining a thing as existing does not make it exist.
Evaluate. The objection is widely judged decisive against Anselm's first form. Yet Malcolm replies that the second form uses necessary existence, a modal property, which may escape Kant's point, since a necessary being cannot coherently be thought not to exist.
Judge. A high-level answer weighs whether Kant refutes the whole argument or only its first form, and reaches a justified conclusion.
Related dot points
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An OCR A-Level Religious Studies Component 01 guide to the nature of God. Covers omnipotence, omniscience, omnibenevolence and eternity, the coherence problems each raises, the dilemma of foreknowledge and free will, and the contrast between a timeless God (Boethius, Aquinas) and an everlasting God (Swinburne), with the AO2 evaluation the exam rewards.
- Component 01 Issues in religious language (twentieth-century perspectives): the verification principle (Ayer), the falsification debate (Flew, Hare and Mitchell) and Wittgenstein's language games.
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Sources & how we know this
- OCR A Level Religious Studies (H573) specification — OCR (2016)
- Anselm, Proslogion (in St Anselm: Basic Writings), translated by S. N. Deane — Open Court / Internet Archive (1078)