The Death of Socrates

The Death of Socrates

Friday 14 January 2011

The Ontological Argument for the Reality of God

It is possible to conceive and account of any being
which is not necessary but which might not (have) be(en)
as being only possible and potential:
an idea that only exists in the imagination,
but not corresponding to any reality beyond
and independent of the mind conceiving it.

Now, let us assume that
"The Greatest Conceivable Being" (GCB)
is of this character, as one might expect it to be.
If this is the case, one will be able to conceive of
and account of the GCB as only possible and imaginary
and not in fact objectively real.
In other words one ought to be able to conceive of
the GCB as nothing more than a figment
of one's imagination, whether
it is a figment or is in fact real.

However, such a figment is - clearly -
conceived of as lacking in one excellence,
namely reality.
It would seem to be greater
(more excellent, worthwhile, useful, powerful, perfect...)
to be real and factual than imaginary or fictitious.
Hence the "supposed GCB", understood as imaginary,
is NOT in fact the "true GCB";
for the same GCB, but understood as real,
is greater than GCB, understood as imaginary.

Note that it must be possible for the GCB to be real,
for it is certainly conceivable (by definition)
and so can have no internal contradiction whatsoever.

Hence it is NOT possible
to conceive of the GCB as imaginary.
This is a contradiction in terms
and the "GCB as imaginary"
is found to be unimaginable
as soon as one attends to the matter
and starts to give due weight and consideration
to the words involved.

Hence the GCB must be necessary and inevitable;
for else it would be possible to conceive of it
as being purely imaginary and only possible
- which task we have found to be impossible.

Hence we have demonstrated that
there is an objectively REAL BEING
which is necessary and inevitable
in a way that nothing else is.
The nature of this GCB comprises
all the excellences which are inherent
in every thing that is either real
or possible to be imagined
without internal contradiction;
such that it is greater than all other beings.

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