PHLA10H3 Study Guide - Final Guide: Reductio Ad Absurdum, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, Omnipotence
Document Summary
Unit 1: existence of god: anselm: the ontological argument-proslogion, paley: excerpts from natural theology, mackie: evil and omnipotence, pascal: the wager. Unit 2: the problem of free will: ayer: freedom and necessity, chisholm: human freedom and the self, frankfurt: freedom of the will and the concept of a person. Unit 4: belief, reason and knowledge: descartes: meditations i & ii, bonjour: the regress problem and foundationalism, hume: excerpts from enquiry concerning human understanding, russell: on induction. Reductio ad absurdum assume opposite position and show how it leads to logical contradiction; indirectly proves conclusions by showing problems with the opposite. Anselm"s god characterized as having many good-making perfections as possible; something than which nothing greater can be thought. Takes existence as good-making quality, better to exist in reality than in understanding. To be possible = logical possible (which is if and only if it involves no logical contradiction)
