Anselm’S Philosophy

Anselm=s definition of   AGod@ starts by saying that God is the greatest being we


can possibly think of.   When Anselm states this, it essentially means that it is not possible


to think of a being greater than God.   Anselm also states that if God is the greatest thinkable


being, he is referring to the fact that it would be impossible to imagine or to create in ones


mind someone or something being better than God.   Therefore, it would be impossible to


say that God only exists in ones mind because it is much greater to exist in reality than it is


to exist only in ones mind.   Anselm then suggests that God has many   attributes which


describe him.   Among these being: self-existent, a necessary being, omnipotent,


omniscient, completely just and timelessly eternal.   After reading the Proslogion by


Anselm, it gave me a greater understanding of these attributes listed above.   Although, they


are all of equal importance, I feel the most prominent of God=s attributes is the fact that


he is self existent.   In essence, that means that God depends on nothing else for his


existence, he is uncaused.   Therefore, his existence is timelessly-eternal.   This means that


God cannot stop existing.   On the other hand, contingent beings (such as ourselves) depend


on something else for their existence.   One example of this is, that as a child we utterly


depended on our parents for food, clothing, and shelter.   Contingent beings therefore can


begin to be or cease to be at anytime.   They can, unlike God, be here today and gone


tomorrow.


Anselm uses the definition of God (the ontological argument), in which I have


described above, to prove God=s existence.   As I mentioned, Anselm believes that God is


the greatest being we can possibly think of.   He does this by first trying to prove the


opposite of what he really wants to prove....