Augustine s Ontological Proof For The Existence Of God

Augustine was a Christian theologian and philosopher born during the late ancient period, born only a handful of centuries after the advent of the common era. Through this era, the separation between religion and philosophy became increasingly evident, though many theologians and philosophers did not limit themselves to one field or the other. In fact, many used philosophical ideas to back up theological concepts and thoughts. One good example of this would be in Augustine’s Ideo-Ontological proof for the existence of god. However, as with most things of a philosophical nature, there is no simple right or wrong, A or B reading of the Ideo-Ontological proof. Despite any possible contention that may occur over the interpretations of the Ideo-Ontological proof, there is no doubt that the proof contributed greatly towards the development of western philosophy, as started by Plato centuries prior. The primary concept behind the Ideo-Ontological proof is that god is a thinker of some sort; for such an influential concept, the definition is actually very cut and dry. The steps to come to such a conclusion, however, are somewhat more complicated. The first step in this proof is to accept that humans are, first and foremost, thinkers; something that later philosophers would pick up on as well. The second is where the problems start; as predicated by the fact that we are thinkers, we are able to think of eternal ideas. I have troubles with this, as I do not presently believe thatShow MoreRelatedProposed Seven Philosophers On The Existence Of God And Their Development Of These Ideas1413 Words   |  6 PagesAristotle, (4) Francis Bacon, (5) St. Augustine, (6) Thomas Aquinas, and (7) Rene DesCartes. The specific three I want to focus on being; St. Augustine, Thomas Aquinas and Rene Descartes. Lastly, I will proceed to relate their ideas on the existence of God and their development of these ideas. St. Augustine s epistemology is rationalization. In his argument for the existence of God, he is referring to varying degrees of perfection otherwise know as, an Ontological argument. He believed that in pursuingRead More Gods Existence Essay1554 Words   |  7 Pageshas challenged the existence of God. This may happen for a number of reasons. For example he or she might have been at a point in their life when their faith alone was just not enough for them to believe. Humans have a natural instinct to find reasons for events that canamp;#8217;t be explained. For some, the existence of God may help give them the answers they are looking for. Philosophers spend a great deal of their time trying to prove or to disprove the existence of God. One philosopher thatRead MoreOrganisational Theory230255 Words   |  922 Pagesmanaging, organizing and reflecting on both formal and informal structures, and in this respect you will find this book timely, interesting and valuable. Peter Holdt Christensen, Associate Professor, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark McAuley et al.’s book is thought-provoking, witty and highly relevant for understanding contemporary organizational dilemmas. The book engages in an imaginative way with a wealth of organizational concepts and theories as well as provides insightful examples from the