PHIL 1000 Study Guide - Final Guide: Belief, Evil Demon, Descriptive Knowledge
Document Summary
Philosophy of religion: anselm the being than which nothing greater can be conceived. Anselm"s assumes that if i understand claims about god, then we may say that god exists in my understanding or in my mind the existence of god on the basis of reason alone. The idea of god proves that god must exist. If something exists in the understanding alone, but can be conceived to exist in reality, then that thing can be conceived to be greater than it actually is. Anselms first premise is that god exists in our understanding as a uniquely special concept because it is something which a greater cannot be thought of. Even if someone denies the existence of god, the idea of god is already in his mind and what he understands exists not only in his mind but in reality as well. Because god is a being that is greater than everything he exists in the mind and in reality.