Anselm and Aquinas Argument Regarding God - 1678 Words

Anselm and Aquinas Argument Regarding God The article I am writing is about Anselm and Aquinas views on God’s existence and the different arguments trying to find out the same thing, does god exist? And if so what is he? The following will be a comparison about Anselm and Aquinas views on god. I mostly agree with Anselm on the topic of that if god were to exist that he would have to be greater than anything conceived. Although I think Aquinas argument that if everything has the possibility of not being, then at sometime nothing exists and there would be nothing now, and is too weak to have it worth my support. First I will explain the assumption of Anselm and Aquinas, and then evaluate the assumption of each. I will compare and†¦show more content†¦He is saying that god is the first to be created because he is the one that moves the mover, which moved the object. An example is the first to set wood on fire is god and God is the first fire. Quoting Aquinas notes â€Å"whatever lacks intelligence cannot move towards an end, unless it is directed by some being endowed with knowledge and intelligence, as the arrow is shot to its mark by the archer.† Here he points to the archer who aims his arrow towards a mark. The arrow does not arrive at its mark without some intelligence that has selected the arrow, placed it and then aimed and shot. Aquinas concludes, â€Å"Therefore some intelligent being exists by whom all natural things are directed to their end; and this being we call God.† This is what we know that is called Thomas Aquinas Five proofs of the existence of God, which were summarized together. Here are the examples I list below: First: The Argument from Motion. (Thomas argues that since everything that moves is moved by another, there must thereby exist an Unmoved Mover, 1st unmoved mover). Second: The Argument from Efficient Cause. (The sequence of causes which make up this universe must have a First Cause, 1st uncaused cause). Third: The Argument to Necessary Being. (Since all existent things depend upon other things for their existence, there must exist at least one thing that is not dependent and so is a Necessary Being). Fourth: The Argument from Gradation. (Since allShow MoreRelatedEssay On Anselm And Aquinas1413 Words   |  6 PagesAnselm and Aquinas on the Existence and Nature of God The great philosophers Anselm and Aquinas both endeavored to convince their peers through philosophical argument that the existence of God was irrefutable. In the process they made claims regarding the nature of God, concerning issues such as His character and being. Despite seeking to discover the same truth about God, Anselm and Aquinas approached the issue at hand in strikingly dissimilar ways. 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