Ontological Arguments for God's Existence

Abstract

One of the most fascinating arguments for the existence of an all-perfect God is the ontological argument. Unlike the design arguments for God's existence, which are empirical in character, the ontological argument is a conceptual argument, purporting to soundly deduce the existence of an all-perfect God from the very concept of God. While there are several different versions of the argument, all purport to show that it is self-contradictory to deny that there exists a greatest possible being; indeed, the character of the ontological argument is such that it is as much a contradiction to deny that God exists as it is to assert that there are married bachelors or square circles. Thus, on this general line of argument, it is a necessary truth that such a being exists – and this being is, of course, the God of traditional theism. This entry explains and evaluates classic and contemporary versions of the ontological argument.