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The Many-Faced Argument
The Many-Faced Argument presents a compilation of essays on the ontological argument for the existence of God, covering responses to Anselm's position in the 1st half, &, in the 2nd half, covering developments of the argument in the context of modern philosophy. Along with contributions by editors Hick & McGill, other writers include Karl Barth, Andre Hayden, Anselm Stolz, Bertrand Russell, Jerome Shaffer, Gilbert Ryle, Aime Forest, Norman Malcolm & Charles Hartshorne. While interest in the the ontological argument has arisen from various disciplines-historical, theological & philosophical-the purpose of this book is to bring these varied writings together so scholars & students within each discipline may have contributions from other fields readily available.
Preface
1.The argument in Anselm. Proslogion 2-4/ Anselm
Criticism & reply/ Gaunilo & Anselm
Recent discussions of Anselm's argument/ Arthur C. McGill
A Platonic justification for the argument a priori/ A. Beckaert
A presupposition of the proof: the name of God/ Karl Barth
Proslogion 3: The special existence of God/ Karl Barth
The role of the fool in St Anselm & the necessarily apostolic character of true Christian reflection/ André Hayen
Anselm's theology in the Proslogion/ Anselm Stolz
2.The argument in recent philosophy. Is Existence a predicate?/ John Hick
General propositions & existence/ Bertrand Russell
Existence, predication & the ontological argument/ Jerome Shaffer
Mr Collingwood & the ontological argument/ G. Ryle
Mr Ryle & the ontological argument/ E.E. Harris
St Anselm's argument in relfexive philosophy/ Aimé Forest
Anselm's ontological arguments/ Norman Malcolm
What did Anselm discover?/ Chas Hartshorne
The irreducibly modal structure of the argument/ Chas Hartshorne
A critique of the second argument/ John Hick
Selected Bibliography
Index of Topics
Index of Names
Preface
1.The argument in Anselm. Proslogion 2-4/ Anselm
Criticism & reply/ Gaunilo & Anselm
Recent discussions of Anselm's argument/ Arthur C. McGill
A Platonic justification for the argument a priori/ A. Beckaert
A presupposition of the proof: the name of God/ Karl Barth
Proslogion 3: The special existence of God/ Karl Barth
The role of the fool in St Anselm & the necessarily apostolic character of true Christian reflection/ André Hayen
Anselm's theology in the Proslogion/ Anselm Stolz
2.The argument in recent philosophy. Is Existence a predicate?/ John Hick
General propositions & existence/ Bertrand Russell
Existence, predication & the ontological argument/ Jerome Shaffer
Mr Collingwood & the ontological argument/ G. Ryle
Mr Ryle & the ontological argument/ E.E. Harris
St Anselm's argument in relfexive philosophy/ Aimé Forest
Anselm's ontological arguments/ Norman Malcolm
What did Anselm discover?/ Chas Hartshorne
The irreducibly modal structure of the argument/ Chas Hartshorne
A critique of the second argument/ John Hick
Selected Bibliography
Index of Topics
Index of Names
- GenresTheology
381 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1967
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 27, 2015
Paul Schaick was a Ph.D. physicist who obtained a second doctorate in philosophy after reading, he said, Heidegger's Being and Time. I met him taking his class in the philosophy of religion at Grinnell College, probably the first time he had ever taught in the field. In any case, he wasn't very good at it. Perhaps his standing at the whiteboard talking to himself while feverishly scribbling was normative in the physics classes of his day, but it wasn't normal for Grinnell College.
Still, Paul was interested in an eccentric way and as he was new to campus and lonely there, we became friends despite his classroom methods. We argued a lot and it was fun.
The class was part of the regular curriculum, so Paul had to make some concessions. We did read Otto's Idea of the Holy--quickly, very quickly, hardly discussing it. That they must have forced on him. We also read Krishnamurti. I shared Paul's liking of his no-nonsense, antimetaphysical mystical--well, sort of mystical--sense of religion. Krishnamurti was likely Paul's doing. Anselm, well, I expect Anselm was the department, but I doubt that they expected that we'd spend 90% of the class analyzing the arguments of the Monologion and the Proslogion, most particularly the Sngt ("Something of which nothing greater can be thought") one.
Actually, we spent 90% of that 90% watching Paul scribble away, interrupted only to teach us the rudiments of modal logic when it dawned on him that we'd never heard of it.
Every day there'd be a handout of the previous day's scribble, then another day's scribble, as Paul worked himself through various modal logics attacking the problem. I got into it as I later, in graduate school, got into symbolic logic, but as a game. Not once did it enter my mind that this work had anything to do with reality or our beliefs about reality.
On the side, other than Anselm's own texts, we were assigned Hick and McGill, some of which was interesting, most of which struck me as a little bit crazy.
God's existence was finally demonstrated to Paul's satisfaction by the end of the semester, if and only if SM5 operations were allowed.
Still, Paul was interested in an eccentric way and as he was new to campus and lonely there, we became friends despite his classroom methods. We argued a lot and it was fun.
The class was part of the regular curriculum, so Paul had to make some concessions. We did read Otto's Idea of the Holy--quickly, very quickly, hardly discussing it. That they must have forced on him. We also read Krishnamurti. I shared Paul's liking of his no-nonsense, antimetaphysical mystical--well, sort of mystical--sense of religion. Krishnamurti was likely Paul's doing. Anselm, well, I expect Anselm was the department, but I doubt that they expected that we'd spend 90% of the class analyzing the arguments of the Monologion and the Proslogion, most particularly the Sngt ("Something of which nothing greater can be thought") one.
Actually, we spent 90% of that 90% watching Paul scribble away, interrupted only to teach us the rudiments of modal logic when it dawned on him that we'd never heard of it.
Every day there'd be a handout of the previous day's scribble, then another day's scribble, as Paul worked himself through various modal logics attacking the problem. I got into it as I later, in graduate school, got into symbolic logic, but as a game. Not once did it enter my mind that this work had anything to do with reality or our beliefs about reality.
On the side, other than Anselm's own texts, we were assigned Hick and McGill, some of which was interesting, most of which struck me as a little bit crazy.
God's existence was finally demonstrated to Paul's satisfaction by the end of the semester, if and only if SM5 operations were allowed.
August 8, 2019
A good survey of the give-and-take of one of the most puzzling ideas in philosophy and theology.
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July 23, 2009The existence of God by John Hick (1964)
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews