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WalesReligious StudiesQuick questions
Philosophy of Religion (Units 2 and 5)
Quick questions on The ontological argument: Anselm, Descartes, Gaunilo and Kant - WJEC A-Level Religious Studies
5short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is descartes' version?Show answer
Descartes thus treats existence as one of the perfections that belong necessarily to the most perfect being.
What is model paragraph?Show answer
The fate of the ontological argument depends largely on whether Anselm's second form survives Kant's objection. Kant's point is that "exists" does not function like "is red" or "is wise": to say a thing exists is to say the concept is instantiated, not to add a feature to it, so existence cannot count among the perfections that make God the greatest conceivable being. Malcolm concedes this for ordinary, contingent existence but argues that necessary existence is different: a being that cannot fail to exist is genuinely greater than one that merely happens to exist, and necessity is a feature of how a thing exists, not merely that it does.
What is q1?Show answer
How does Anselm define God? [2 marks]
What is q2?Show answer
What is Kant's main objection to the argument? [2 marks]
What is q3?Show answer
Evaluate the view that the ontological argument fails because you cannot define God into existence. [20 marks]
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