Ontological Arguments

by Graham Oppy (Editor)

Ontological arguments are one of the main classes of arguments for the existence of God, and have been influential from the Middle Ages right up until the present time. This accessible volume offers a comprehensive survey and assessment of them, starting with a sequence of chapters charting their history - from Anselm and Aquinas, via Descartes, Leibniz, Kant and Hegel, to Gödel, Plantinga, Lewis and Tichý. This is followed by chapters on the most important topics to have emerged in the discussion of ontological the relationship between conceivability and possibility, the charge that ontological arguments beg the question, and the nature of existence. The volume as a whole shows clearly how these arguments emerged and developed, how we should think about them, and why they remain important today.

Genres: Philosophy, Metaphysics

294 pages, Hardcover

Published December 20, 2018

About the author

Graham Robert Oppy is an Australian philosopher whose main area of research is the philosophy of religion. He currently holds the posts of Professor of Philosophy and Associate Dean of Research at Monash University and serves as CEO of the Australasian Association of Philosophy, Chief Editor of the Australasian Philosophical Review, Associate Editor of the Australasian Journal of Philosophy, and serves on the editorial boards of Philo, Philosopher's Compass, Religious Studies, and Sophia. He was elected Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities in 2009. (Source: Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Jacob O'connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned quite a bit from this volume, although most of it is critical of the Ontological Argument. It's funny. They don't buy the argument, but I don't buy their critiques. Sometimes I'm tempted to think philosophy is scientific than it is.

[AH · Rating 5 out of 5]

From Inwagen to Priest to Pruss and all the way to Millican and Almeida, this book is basically the contemporary summation of ontological arguments and its status in the current philosophy of religion. I loved the introduction by Oppy and chapters by Pruss, Inwagen and Oddie were also worth the read.