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Anselm’s ontological argument is wrong

Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2021 4:28 pm
by bahman
God is defined as the greatest in all respects. Reality is boundless therefore the greatest does not exist. Therefore, there is no God.

Re: Anselm’s ontological argument is wrong

Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2021 4:52 pm
by Terrapin Station
Not that I agree with Anselm's argument--it's always struck me as rather stupid instead, but you'd need to explain the connection you're claiming between boundlessness and greatness.

Re: Anselm’s ontological argument is wrong

Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2021 4:57 pm
by Skepdick
Terrapin Station wrote: Sat Feb 13, 2021 4:52 pm Not that I agree with Anselm's argument--it's always struck me as rather stupid instead, but you'd need to explain the connection you're claiming between boundlessness and greatness.
It has nothing do with the argument and everything to do with the conception/notion of "proof".

It's a proof by contradiction. Is that; or isn't that a valid way of proving things?

If the method is valid then the proof is valid.

Re: Anselm’s ontological argument is wrong

Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2021 4:59 pm
by Skepdick
bahman wrote: Sat Feb 13, 2021 4:28 pm God is defined as the greatest in all respects. Reality is boundless therefore the greatest does not exist. Therefore, there is no God.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6de ... ical_proof

God, by definition, is that for which no greater can be conceived. God exists in the understanding. If God exists in the understanding, we could imagine Him to be greater by existing in reality. Therefore, God must exist.

All proofs by contradiction follow this format.

Premise -> Contradiction -> Premise is false, therefore negation of premise is true.

Re: Anselm’s ontological argument is wrong

Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2021 5:14 pm
by attofishpi
bahman wrote: Sat Feb 13, 2021 4:28 pm God is defined as the greatest in all respects. Reality is boundless therefore the greatest does not exist. Therefore, there is no God.
U R assuming reality is boundless, and as for your premise it certifies illogic is equally boundless.

Re: Anselm’s ontological argument is wrong

Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2021 5:15 pm
by bahman
Terrapin Station wrote: Sat Feb 13, 2021 4:52 pm Not that I agree with Anselm's argument--it's always struck me as rather stupid instead, but you'd need to explain the connection you're claiming between boundlessness and greatness.
The greatest is a measure for a quality belonging to a being that nobody can have a quality larger than this. In reality, there is no bound for any quality. Therefore, the greatest does not exist.

Re: Anselm’s ontological argument is wrong

Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2021 5:20 pm
by bahman
Skepdick wrote: Sat Feb 13, 2021 4:59 pm
bahman wrote: Sat Feb 13, 2021 4:28 pm God is defined as the greatest in all respects. Reality is boundless therefore the greatest does not exist. Therefore, there is no God.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6de ... ical_proof
I am discussing Anselm's argument not Gödel’s one.
Skepdick wrote: Sat Feb 13, 2021 4:59 pm God, by definition, is that for which no greater can be conceived. God exists in the understanding. If God exists in the understanding, we could imagine Him to be greater by existing in reality. Therefore, God must exist.
But I can conceive that there is no the greatest. Therefore, God does not exist.
Skepdick wrote: Sat Feb 13, 2021 4:59 pm All proofs by contradiction follow this format.

Premise -> Contradiction -> Premise is false, therefore negation of premise is true.
I know.

Re: Anselm’s ontological argument is wrong

Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2021 5:21 pm
by bahman
attofishpi wrote: Sat Feb 13, 2021 5:14 pm
bahman wrote: Sat Feb 13, 2021 4:28 pm God is defined as the greatest in all respects. Reality is boundless therefore the greatest does not exist. Therefore, there is no God.
U R assuming reality is boundless, and as for your premise it certifies illogic is equally boundless.
Ahan, so you could become equal to God one day in the far future. Couldn't you?

Re: Anselm’s ontological argument is wrong

Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2021 5:21 pm
by Terrapin Station
bahman wrote: Sat Feb 13, 2021 5:15 pm
Terrapin Station wrote: Sat Feb 13, 2021 4:52 pm Not that I agree with Anselm's argument--it's always struck me as rather stupid instead, but you'd need to explain the connection you're claiming between boundlessness and greatness.
The greatest is a measure for a quality belonging to a being that nobody can have a quality larger than this. In reality, there is no bound for any quality. Therefore, the greatest does not exist.
It seems, first off, that you're conflating quality and quantity.

Take a quality like "flowery." What would it mean to have or not have a bound for "flowery"? What would it mean for a quality to be "larger" or "smaller" than "flowery"?

Re: Anselm’s ontological argument is wrong

Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2021 5:25 pm
by bahman
Terrapin Station wrote: Sat Feb 13, 2021 5:21 pm
bahman wrote: Sat Feb 13, 2021 5:15 pm
Terrapin Station wrote: Sat Feb 13, 2021 4:52 pm Not that I agree with Anselm's argument--it's always struck me as rather stupid instead, but you'd need to explain the connection you're claiming between boundlessness and greatness.
The greatest is a measure for a quality belonging to a being that nobody can have a quality larger than this. In reality, there is no bound for any quality. Therefore, the greatest does not exist.
It seems, first off, that you're conflating quality and quantity.

Take a quality like "flowery." What would it mean to have or not have a bound for "flowery"? What would it mean for a quality to be "larger" or "smaller" than "flowery"?
Think of goodness.

Re: Anselm’s ontological argument is wrong

Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2021 5:27 pm
by attofishpi
bahman wrote: Sat Feb 13, 2021 5:21 pm
attofishpi wrote: Sat Feb 13, 2021 5:14 pm
bahman wrote: Sat Feb 13, 2021 4:28 pm God is defined as the greatest in all respects. Reality is boundless therefore the greatest does not exist. Therefore, there is no God.
U R assuming reality is boundless, and as for your premise it certifies illogic is equally boundless.
Ahan, so you could become equal to God one day in the far future. Couldn't you?
non sequiture ..as usual.

Re: Anselm’s ontological argument is wrong

Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2021 5:27 pm
by Terrapin Station
bahman wrote: Sat Feb 13, 2021 5:25 pm
Terrapin Station wrote: Sat Feb 13, 2021 5:21 pm
bahman wrote: Sat Feb 13, 2021 5:15 pm
The greatest is a measure for a quality belonging to a being that nobody can have a quality larger than this. In reality, there is no bound for any quality. Therefore, the greatest does not exist.
It seems, first off, that you're conflating quality and quantity.

Take a quality like "flowery." What would it mean to have or not have a bound for "flowery"? What would it mean for a quality to be "larger" or "smaller" than "flowery"?
Think of goodness.
Okay, but first, would you say that a "bound" for "flowery" makes sense or not?

Re: Anselm’s ontological argument is wrong

Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2021 5:35 pm
by bahman
attofishpi wrote: Sat Feb 13, 2021 5:27 pm
bahman wrote: Sat Feb 13, 2021 5:21 pm
attofishpi wrote: Sat Feb 13, 2021 5:14 pm

U R assuming reality is boundless, and as for your premise it certifies illogic is equally boundless.
Ahan, so you could become equal to God one day in the far future. Couldn't you?
non sequiture ..as usual.
It is not. If God has a quality that is maximal and the quality greater than that cannot be achieved then you can achieve. Think of the tree of knowledge.

Moreover, I have an argument for the reality being boundless.

Re: Anselm’s ontological argument is wrong

Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2021 5:38 pm
by bahman
Terrapin Station wrote: Sat Feb 13, 2021 5:27 pm
bahman wrote: Sat Feb 13, 2021 5:25 pm
Terrapin Station wrote: Sat Feb 13, 2021 5:21 pm

It seems, first off, that you're conflating quality and quantity.

Take a quality like "flowery." What would it mean to have or not have a bound for "flowery"? What would it mean for a quality to be "larger" or "smaller" than "flowery"?
Think of goodness.
Okay, but first, would you say that a "bound" for "flowery" makes sense or not?
There are some qualities that are binary. Like flowery. A thing is either flower or not. You cannot have a flower that is more flowery than another flower.

Re: Anselm’s ontological argument is wrong

Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2021 5:42 pm
by Terrapin Station
bahman wrote: Sat Feb 13, 2021 5:38 pm
Terrapin Station wrote: Sat Feb 13, 2021 5:27 pm
bahman wrote: Sat Feb 13, 2021 5:25 pm
Think of goodness.
Okay, but first, would you say that a "bound" for "flowery" makes sense or not?
There are some qualities that are binary. Like flowery. A thing is either flower or not. You cannot have a flower that is more flowery than another flower.
Okay, so some qualities you'd say have an implied quantification, and "goodness" is an example in your view. How, exactly, would you say that "goodness" is quantified?