Anselm's Ontological Argument

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God is that which nothing greater can be conceived. We could not possibly imagine something to be greater than God, and since things which exist are greater than those which are imagined, God must exist for his description to be accurate.

ontology

study of being or existence, or

a particular theory about the nature of being

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philosophy

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a discipline concerning:

logic, ethics, metaphysics, and epistemology

universal

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a type, a property, or a relation, of more than one thing at once.

The noun universal contrasts with individual.

The adjective universal contrasts with particular or sometimes with concrete.

universe

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all particles and energy (aka spatial-temporal matter) that exist and the space-time in which all events occur.

world

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a. everything that makes up reality

b. the universe plus all abstract entities

epistemology

study of the nature and scope of knowledge

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metaphysics

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study of the fundamental nature of

reality and being

ethics

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the discipline dealing with
what is good and bad, and

with moral duty and obligation

logic

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the study of the principles and criteria of valid inference and demonstration.

supernatural

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existence beyond the visible observable universe,

especially relating to God, spirit, or devil

nature/essence

the inherent character or basic constitution of a person or thing

accidental property

(traditional & modern definitions)

traditional: appearances of an object

  modern: most basic level of property, typically contingent (non-essential)

intrinsic

vs

extrinsic

 belonging to the essential nature or

constitution of a thing

vs

not forming part of or belonging to a thing

concrete

vs

abstract

an entity that is particular, and

occupies space-time

vs

an entity that is a non-spatial,
causally inert thing

substance

things that are the

foundational or fundamental

entities of reality

theology

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the study of God and of God's relation to the world

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pseudoscience

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a system that claims to be scientific,

but does not adhere to the basic

requirements of the scientific method.

intelligent design

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assertion that certain features of the universe

and of living things are best explained by an

intelligent cause, not an undirected process

such as natural selection.

absolute

vs

relative

the totality of all things,

or ultimate reality

vs

being related to or dependant

on some other element or aspect

existence

the state or fact of having being 

actual

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existing in act or reality

and not merely potentially

abstract

&

abstraction

disassociated from any specific instance or object

  &

the process of generalization wherein ideas are distanced from objects

ideal

Excellence or high standard,

especially ethical,

for which humans strive

deduction vs Induction

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inference in which the conclusion about particulars follows necessarily from general premises

vs

inference of a generalized conclusion

from particular instances

a priori

 vs

a posteriori

derived by reasoning from self-evident propositions, independant of experience, generally deductive

vs

derived by reasoning from observed facts,

dependent on experience, generally inductive

immutable

not capable of or susceptible to change

omnipotence

having virtually unlimited

authority, influence or power

Almighty

omniscience

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the capacity to know everything infinitely, or at least everything that can be known

omnipresence

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ability to be present in all places at all times

ubiquity

benevolence

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a disposition to true goodness

an expression of agape love

abstruse

difficult to comprehend

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transcendent

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extending or lying beyond the limits of ordinary experience or knowledge

immanent

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being within the limits of

possible experience or knowledge

transempirical

entity beyond existence and sensory perception, i.e. supernatural

aesthetic value

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nature of beauty and harmony,

especially to human senses

ambiguous

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uncertain, especially from obscurity

capable of being understood in multiple ways

subjective

vs

objective

having reality as perceived in the mind

vs

having reality independent of the mind

natural law

vs

positive law

law or a specific principle held

to be derived from nature

vs

law established or recognized

by governmental authority

analytic

vs

synthetic

A statement whose predicate concept is contained in its subject concept. An example is:

"all bachelors are unmarried."

 vs

A statement whose predicate concept is different from its subject concept. An example is:

"all bachelors are happy."

intuition

immediate apprehension or cognition

without rational thought

causality

a relation between a cause and its effect

deconstruction

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critical method which asserts that metaphysical constructs are always rendered unstable by their dependence on ultimately arbitrary signifiers

fallicy

vs

falsity

invalid argument due to the transition from a set of premises to a conclusion

vs 

invalidity of a single statement

free will

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the doctrine that an individual, regardless of forces external to him, can and does choose at least some of his or her actions.

innate ideas

concepts present in the mind at birth, as opposed to concepts arrived at through experience.

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Logos

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a. the divine wisdom manifest in the creation, government, and redemption of the world

(often identified with Jesus as Word of God)

b : in Greek philosophy, reason that is the controlling principle in the universe

the social contract

agreement or covenant by which men are said to have abandoned the "state of nature" to form the society in which they now live.

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symbol

something that suggests something else by reason of relationship or resemblance,

 especially a visible sign of something invisible

virtue

&

cardinal virtues

quality of good in human conduct

&

four natural virtues according to Plato:

prudence (or wisdom), justice,

temperance & fortitude (or courage)

will

that which is alleged to stimulate

the motivation of purposeful activity.

world soul

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a universal spirit or soul that functions as an organizing principle for the world

categorical imperative

&

deontology

a moral obligation or command that is unconditionally and universally binding

(Immanuel Kant)

&

approach to ethics that focuses on the rightness or wrongness of actions themselves, as opposed to the rightness or wrongness of the consequences of those actions

(Immanuel Kant, C.D. Broad, W.D. Ross)

cosmological argument

metaphysical argument for the existence of God, or a first mover of the cosmos; the argument is based on the claim that God must exist due to the fact that the universe needs a cause

hermeneutics

study of the methodological principles of interpretation (as of the Bible)

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noumenon

vs

phenomenon

"thing by itself"

basic realities behind all sensory experience

vs

"thing that appears to us"

an observable fact or event

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teleology

term applied to any system attempting to explain a series of events in terms of ends, goals, or purposes