PHL 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Gaunilo Of Marmoutiers, Ontological Argument, Reductio Ad Absurdum
4 Dec 2020
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The most famous criticism of anselm"s argument was advanced by gaunilo, a monk of marmoutier. Gaunilo replies pro insipiente ( on behalf of the fool") Gaunilo"s reply - he makes 3 points. 1) many things can be in our minds, but this doesn"t make them true (e. g. gossip) 2) you can"t move to argue de re from de dicto. Anselm is saying that people who wish to declare there is no god" have to have an idea in their minds of what god is". Anselm suggests the definition of god is that than which nothing greater can be thought". He then points out that it is greater to exist in reality than in the mind alone. To deny existence to god would be to suggest that god is not the greatest being that can be thought of. God would be lesser in some way when.
