The Ontological Argument

1. The Ontological Argument Dr Hatfield

2. Aim to understand the difference between apriori and a posteriori • A priori (before) does not start from experience. • A posteriori (after) experience is needed • Focus on the word prior and posterior to help you remember which way round they are.

3. So...... A priori are things that once you have learnt (e.g. This is particularly easy to relate to mathematical relationships) you do not need any further experience to conclude that the premise is true. • A posteriori you need further experience or evidence to know whether the premise is correct.

4. Which of these are a priori and which are a posteriori? • A bachelor is an unmarried man. • A triangle has 3 sides. • Mr Smith is a bachelor. • All bears are brown.

6. All bears are animals. • What makes this statement true?

7. All bears are animals. • What makes this statement true? • By analysing the word bear it must be an animal. • It does not make sense for the bear not be an animal. • ( we are not talking about teddy bears Paddington bear or any toy bears)

8. Come up with 2 other a priori statements about bears

9. Come up with 2 other a priori statements about bears • All bears will die. • All bears have bones.

10. All St TM A2 R.E. Students live in brick houses?Is this statement a priori or a posteriori? • Explain your answer. • Divide a page into 3, the first column will be the widest as it will contain statements. • WORK IN PAIRS • Come up with 5 statements (about anything) that include a priori and a posteriori statements. • We will visit each others groups write down and asses their satements. • We will then peer assess each other’s answers.

11. Analytic and synthetic are distinctions between types of statements Immanuel Kant in Critique of Pure Reason to find some sound basis for human knowledge. • If a statement is synthetic, its truth value can only be determined by relying upon observation and experience. Its truth value cannot be determined by relying solely upon logic or examining the meaning of the words involved. Examples include: • All men are arrogant.The president is dishonest. • Kant says if a statement is analytic, then it is true by definition. Examples include: • Bachelors are unmarried.Daisies are flowers.

12. Aim to understand the difference between apriori and a posteriori • A priori (before) does not start from experience. ANALYTIC • A posteriori(after) experience is needed SYNTHETIC • Focus on the word prior and posterior to help you remember which way round they are.

13. St Thomas Aquinas says ‘God exists’ is a synthetic statement (a posteriori) • It makes no sense to say there is no God like it makes no sense to say there aren’t any bears. • Both statements are based on evidence and may or may not be true (a posteriori)

14. Aquinas says: • If we did know God’s essence it would be possible to know God’s essence includes God’s existence but we cannot know this.

15. Theories to prove God’s existence • List them. • Are they a priori or a posteriori?

16. The Ontological argument • This is different in that it is an a priori argument

17. Plenary • Produce your own definition and an example of a statment for; • A priori/ANALYTIC • A posteriori/SYNTHETIC