The Ontological Argument For The Existence Of God

Descartes’ ontological argument is an echo of the original ontological argument for the existence of God as proposed by St. Anselm in the 11th century. To illustrate the background of the ontological argument, Anselm’s argument works within a distinct framework of ontology that posits the existence of God as necessity by virtue of its definition. In other words, for the mind to conceive of an infinite, perfect God, ultimately implies that there must indeed be a perfect God that embodies existence, for perfection cannot merely exist as a mental phenomenon. God is, according to Anselm, self-evident in the mind. Criticisms to this argument can be found in Anselm’s contemporary, Gaunilo, who argues that such an argument can be used to - put†¦show more content†¦To apprehend God is akin to apprehending truths of mathematical nature; they are found within the contents of the mind and are ontologically and logically true. Further, mathematical truths have †˜essences’ which necessitate their existence; for example, the fact of three angles equalling two right angles is essential to the existence of the triangle. It is what makes the existing thing what it is. As for the idea of God, Descartes writes, â€Å"existence can no more be separated from the essence of God.†. Because God is defined as perfect, it then follows that God must therefore exist, as existence is itself a perfection. In other words, perfection is existence, and to not exist would be less than perfect; therefore, the ontological argument argues for necessity of God’s existence by virtue of his perfect essence. Strengths of the ontological argument, prima facie, are rather superficial and do not withstand objection if the argument is further probed and examined. Therefore, I do not see much strength in the argument itself, but in Descartes’ formulation of it. Firstly, of the few strengths that are initially brought to mind, the argument emplo ys succinct propositions and does not rely upon evidenceShow MoreRelatedThe Existence Of God : Ontological Argument Essay1696 Words   |  7 PagesThe question of the existence of God has troubled mankind for thousands of years. Many philosophers and theologians have always searched for prove whether God exists. Many of them constructed valid arguments which support theist believes. The existence of God was once never denied, as His presence, His existence was evident in miracles and the people s faith. But time and the advancement of modern science have called God and His very nature into question. The Perfect Being has become the sourceRead MoreThe Ontological Argument On The Existence Of God1608 Words   |  7 PagesThe ontological argument is one of the most prominent arguments with in philosophy. Ontological comes from the Greek word â€Å"ontos† meaning â€Å"being† or â€Å"what there is†. Ontology credits the existence of God to overall essence of God. The ontology argument questions the nature of being which includes questioning the existence of God. As made apparent in â€Å"Introduction to Philosophy: Classical and Contemporary Readings† many philosophers have different views and theories on the existence of God. AnslemRead MoreOntological Argument For The Existence Of God1083 Words   |  5 Pagesthis paper I will discuss the argument of Anselms ontological argument for the existence of god. His basis of his argument being an analytical breakdown for the reason fot gods exsistence. While also establishing that Anselms inferences found with his use of deduction and logical means to prove the existence of a higher being are indeed true. In addition I will defend Anselms argument by depicting other people’s objections against his argument. Specifically the argument made by Gaunilo, who disagreedRead MoreAn Ontological Argument For The Existence Of God1430 Words   |  6 PagesNatural Religion (1779), Hume has the character of Demea present an Ontological Argument for the existence of God. Demea attempts to argue that God’s existence can be proven wholly a priori and logically, rather than through the a posteriori design argument. A priori arguments say that if the reasoning is valid then the conclusion necessarily follows from the premises, which Demea argues is the case when it comes to the existence of god. The following essay will discuss Demea s standing, Cleanthes’Read MoreEssay on The Ontological Argument for the Existence of God1545 Words   |  7 PagesThe Ontological Argument for the Existence of God The ontological argument is an a priori argument. The arguments attempt to prove Gods existence from the meaning of the word God. The ontological argument was introduced by Anselm of Canterbury in his book Proslogion. Anselms classical argument was based on two principals and the two most involved in this is St Anselm of Canterbury as previously mentioned and Rene Descartes. The ontological argument argues thatRead MoreOntological Arguments for the Existence of God Essay1603 Words   |  7 Pagespresents his second argument for the existence of God. Descartes holds that existence is perfection and so, it can be a predicate for God. I will first explain what is the ontological argument for the existence of God. Next, I will discuss why Descartes decides to bring God into His method of philosophy. I will then try to argue that existence is a perfection and that as a predicate for God, existence reveal certain true about God. Ontological argument tries to prove the existence of God from a prioriRead MoreDescartes Ontological Argument For The Existence Of God1302 Words   |  6 Pages10/30/2014 Descartes’ Ontological Argument for the Existence of God The Ontological Argument for the existence of God is an a priori argument that aims to demonstrate that God’s real-world existence follows necessarily from the concept of God. In Meditation V of Discourse on Methods and Meditations on First Philosophy, Descartes presents his version of the Ontological Argument for the existence of God. In this essay, I will argue that this argument fails because necessary existence for a concept doesRead MoreAnselm s Ontological Argument On The Existence Of God935 Words   |  4 PagesAnselm’s Ontological argument sets out to not only prove God’s existence, but to show that God’s existence is self-evident. Similar to other ontological arguments, it uses a priori knowledge to argue its validity, meaning that the propositions made are derived from internal reasoning instead of sense experience. The argument begins with Anselm defining the term God as â€Å"that, than which nothing greater can be conceived† (pg.26). Although simple, once this term is accepted Anselm believes he has successfullyRead MoreThe Major Features of the Ontological Argument for the Existence of God1021 Words   |  5 Pagesof the Ontological Argument for the Existence of God The ontological argument for the existence of God was originally set out in eleventh century by St. Anselm in his Proslogian. Anselm was a Benedictine monk, Archbishop of Canterbury, and one of the great medieval theologians. It has received a lot of both support and criticism from leaning philosophers. The argument is appeals to those who already believe in the existence of God than to an atheist. The argument is entirelyRead MoreValidity And Effectiveness Of Anselm s Ontological Argument On The Existence Of God1095 Words   |  5 PagesAnselm s Ontological Argument on the existence of God. I will begin by presenting Anselm’s Ontological Argument from the ground up. This includes the argument, basic idea, initial assumptions, Anselm’s definition of god, and Anselm s distinctions which are needed to completely understand the nature of my argument. Furthermore, I will present concepts of logic and define what makes an argument valid, and circular argument because they are necessary for understanding the validity of this argument. Following

A Long Walk to Freedom †Nelson Mandela Free Essays

string(33) " from the British and the Dutch\." Nelson Mandela in his book, Long Walk to Freedom argues through the first five parts that a black individual must deal, coop, and grow through a society that is hindering their lives† with apartheid and suppression of their rightful land. Rolihlanla Mphakanyiswa or clan name, Madiba was born on July 18, 1918 in a simple village of Mvezo, which was not accustomed to the happenings of South Africa as a whole. His father was an respected man who led a good life, but lost it because of a dispute with the magistrate. We will write a custom essay sample on A Long Walk to Freedom – Nelson Mandela or any similar topic only for you Order Now While, his mother was a hard-working woman full of daily choirs. His childhood was full of playing games with fellow children and having fun. In school, Mandela was given his English name of Nelson. After his father†s death, he moved to love with a regent, who was a well-off individual and owed Nelson†s father for a previous favor. The next several years were full of schooling for Nelson. These schools opened Nelson†s eyes to many things, which we will discuss later. He and the regent†s son, Justice decided to travel to Johannesburg and see what work they could find. They left on their journey without the regent†s permission, but eventually escaped his power and settled down in the town. In Johannesburg, Nelson settled down in a law firm as an assistant and went to University of South Africa and Witwatersrand University to further his law education. Witswatersrand University brought many new ideas to Nelson and awakened a spirit inside of him. The next several years, Nelson met many new political friends and began his involvement in the ANC. Also during this time, he met Evelyn and they became married. Gradually Nelson†s political involvement grew and his family life declined. Nelson and his good friend, Oliver Tambo opened a law firm, which took up most of Nelson†s time. Evelyn mothered two of Nelson†s children, but the gradually grew apart. Now, Nelson was an influential political individual and bans and jailing began to follow him around. One day, a young woman came into his life by the name of Winnie and they got married. Winnie gave birth to two more of Nelson†s children. As time passed, Nelson†s spirit for freedom grew more and more each day. Though his life was full of bannings and jailings, he never gave up his fight, but he knew that the south African government was becoming agitated with him and the ANC. The South African government became ruthless and strict and this forced Nelson to leave his family. After he left his family, he went underground. Nelson†s life has been full of hardships and decisions, but his heart for the struggle has never faltered. Now let us examine Nelson in closer detail. Nelson is an individual who fought through many hardships, but was also faced with decisions that affected his future, his family, and his livelihood. As we look at Nelson deeper, we can see many interesting points. He was opened to new ideas and beliefs through his experiences in the schools of Heraldtown and Fort Hare, but knew there was something better. He decided to travel to Johannesburg to find new and greater opportunities. While, in Johannesburg, he believed education would be a key asset. While working for a small firm, he took classes at University of South Africa and eventually Wits University. Here is where his mind and social life flourished. He interacted with great minds and influential political individuals. He talked to many Africans without proper education, who contained more knowledge and better social skills than many Africans with education. But, he still persisted in acquiring his B. A. Wits University brought his life to new extents. He was also talking to Indians, Coloureds, and whites for the first time in his life and Becoming friends with many more prominent African individuals. Nelson soon joined the ANC and became very prominent in the fight for freedom. Nelson was always open to listening to new ideas, but when his was just starting his fight. He believed that just Africans should fight the struggle and that the Indians, Coloureds, and communists would hinder their fight. As the ANC grew, Nelson also became well known. He was part of the Youth League, another beneficial part of the ANC. Nelson was not president yet, but was powerful enough to voice is opinions, which many people listened to and believed in. As Nelson†s political involvement grew, the police became more aware of him. Nelson received ban after ban, which ranged from months to years. He also experienced jail time constantly. Eventually, the police†s pursuit of him forced him to go underground. Nelson was also becoming more open-minded. He now believed that the fight should involve the Indians and the Coloureds. He also believed that Communism did have some good points, but he would never accept the whole communism aspect. There were many freedom fighters in South Africa. One that stood out was Dr. Xuma. Dr. Xuma was friend of Nelson and the president of the ANC, but the struggle forces many hardships on one†s life. Nelson gave everything up to pursue his fight for freedom. He left his family, his prospering law firm, and his past for the struggle. Dr. Xuma believed in the same ideas as Nelson, but would not give up his prominence with the whites and his wealthy occupation for the struggle. This decision had to be made by many freedom fighters. Nelson gave his life for the fight. While, Dr. Xuma thought his career was more important. Now let us look closer at some issues seen through Mandela†s book. Through this paragraph, I will compare foreign influence seen in Long Walk to Freedom to foreign influence seen in Mexico through Professor Hornibrook†s lectures and notes. As I have seen through your lectures, South Africa was affected by foreign influence from the British and the Dutch. You read "A Long Walk to Freedom – Nelson Mandela" in category "Papers" Mandela†s autobiography helps give more detailed accounts of the European influence seen in South Africa. Ever since Mandela was born, the European†s power affected his people. European influence could be seen through every aspect of life. In Mandela†s school, he was given an English name and this was because â€Å"this was the custom among Africans in those days and was undoubtedly due to the British bias of our education. â€Å"(14) Also, â€Å"the education I received was a British education, in which British ideas, British culture, British institutions were automatically assumed to be superior. There was no such thing as African culture. â€Å"(14) This shows that it was difficult to get away from the British influence even for children in school. The British and the Dutch governments passed several acts that were instituted to fight against the Africans freedom struggle. The Africans struggle for independence was slowly growing and this scared the government. A new term was being seen and it was called â€Å"apartheid. † The government enacted laws and acts that prohibited Africans from doing Many things that were vital to their fight and survival. The Group Areas Act was one example. This act called for each racial group to be separated into separate areas. Another act was the Population Registration Act, which showed that race had become the most important and influential aspect of South African law and society. Another act was the Suppression of Communism Act. This act called for all communists to be brought to trial. The police could arrest anyone they believed were trying to overthrow the government by violence and communist ways. Lastly, the government put bans on individuals who were becoming to involved in the struggle and finally the government banned the ANC and all other liberation groups. This ban now made freedom fighting was illegal in South Africa. The effect of foreign influence was drastic. Africans lost sense of African culture in schools. While, the foreign government tried everything to break down the Africans chance for liberty. The foreign influence seen in South Africa crushed the African†s hope and survival. While this was occurring in South Africa, Mexico was also seeing the effect of foreign influence. Americans and Europeans came into Mexico and gained much power. Haciendas helped their rise and foreign investment in many minerals and oil. But, Mexico did not approve of this and changed it. In 1917, Mexico created a new constitution, which limited foreign investment and promised land reform. This showed that Mexico did not want an overpopulation of foreigners and would not allow it. While, in oil, the foreigners controlled much of the oil, which Mexico had an abundance of. In 1938, oil workers went on strike and the companies would not give in, but instead of allowing foreign influence to become too powerful. The Mexican leader, Cardenas sent in arbitrators. The arbitrators called for the one/third pay increase, but the companies refused. Therefore, Cardenas nationalized oil and limited the power of foreign influence in Mexico. Now, Mexican oil was controlled by PEMEX, which is controlled only by Mexico. Mexico become a large influence in the oil market during the oil crisis, but also went though hyperinflation and eventually needed some foreign help. But, the Mexicans would not allow foreign influences to dominate the Mexican state as foreigners have affected South Africa. Now I will examine another issue seen in the book. In this paragraph, I will examine the movement seen in Long Walk to Freedom to the movement seen in China during the 1900†³s. In South Africa, the movement I saw was the Africans fighting for freedom. In their time of struggle, they had little help from those with power. The liberation movement involved peasants, educated, and well-off Africans. But, the government did what ever they could to put down this struggle. They set up organizations, such as the ANC, Youth League, and others, but as seen in other places the wealthy and powerful would not help the struggle. Many people were blind to the struggle. â€Å"Most of these wardresses had no idea why we were in prison, and gradually began to discover what we were fighting for and why we were willing to risk jail in the first place. (249) Many individuals did not realize what the Africans were really fighting for and why the government was harassing them, but slowly they were learning. â€Å"Seeing prominent and educated white women discussing serious matters with a black man on the basis of perfect equality could only lead to the weakening of the wardresses† apartheid assumptions. â€Å"(249) The government tried to separ ate whites from blacks so whites would not turn sympathetic towards the Africans fight. This scared feeling made the government acts and laws stricter and harsher towards the African struggle. Therefore, in South Africa, the movement received little help from the people who had influence in the country and the help they truly needed. While, in China, their movement involved their peasants and they had help, which truly helped their struggle. Mao stated that â€Å"In a very short time,†¦ several hundred million peasants will rise like a mighty storm†¦ They will sweep all the imperialists, warlords, corrupt officials, local tyrants and evil gentry into their graves†¦ â€Å"(Mao, 24) Here Mao stated that the peasants would destroy the landlords and corrupt individuals. He helped the peasants by making some reforms. He gave peasants land and made marriages a free choice. He also instituted the 100 Flowers Campaign. This campaign allowed peasants to speak out and have freedom of speech. We see here that the peasants had help in their struggle, while the Africans had very little. This assistance helped the peasants to get the things they were fighting for. Mandela†s Long Walk to Freedom, helped show the rise of an incredible individual, who fought with many of his countrymen against the oppression and apartheid of white supremacy in South Africa. Throughout the book, I have seen Nelson†s open-mindedness. Nelson always listened to communist ideas and Indian goals, eventhough he did not agree with them. Nelson faced many hardships through his struggle and this had to cause some resentment against his oppressors. But if anyone would not be bias in his writing, I would say it would be Nelson Mandela. He has showed in his book that he is great individual and that he will not let his past feeling cloud his writing. You can see his feelings in his book and that is what makes it so good, but I believe he does not hide anything from us on both sides of the stories. In conclusion, Mandela†s autobiography is a brilliant book written by an incredible individual. I wish I could of read the whole book for this essay, but that was not possible. It is hard to write an essay on the first 5 parts when I know some things that happened further in the book. I did not know if I should include that information in the essay, but I did not involve it. This book helped to show the other side of the story. We always hear the victor†s story and in this class we got to hear the other side of the story. How to cite A Long Walk to Freedom – Nelson Mandela, Papers

Research Instruments

Question: Discuss about practical and ethical issues an experience of the survey. Answer: It is very important to choose proper instrument for conducting the research work. The most popular instrument for collecting the quantitative data from the sample population of the research work is survey questionnaire. In order to conduct a survey, the questionnaire design is very vital. The data collection method of the qualitative research work can be efficiently done by using the interview. In order to conduct the interview, an interview guide is required (Krathwohl, 2009). Practical and ethical issues: The effectiveness of the research work is dependent on the questionnaire used for the data collection method. There are two types of questions: close ended and open ended questions. The questions that have some options or the multiple choice questions are the close ended questions and the questions which required some descriptive answers are considered as the open ended questions (Bryman, 2006). The questions should be attractive also which can ensure that the respondents will not be bored at the time of give their responses to the questions. Generally, the quantitative data are gathered through the use of close ended questions. On the other hand, the open ended questions are used for the collection of qualitative data (Johnson Onwuegbuzie, 2004). Use of the questionnaires for the survey method is associated with some ethical considerations. Before conducting the survey, the consent of the respondents should be taken. The questions should be simple and straightly connected to the research topic. The language of the questions should be clear and formal (Onwuegbuzie Leech, 2006). The questions of the interview should not harm anyones sentiment. The interviewer should not ask any personal question which is not related to the research work. Like the survey, the consent of the respondents is required before conducting the interview (Venkatesh, Brown Bala, 2013). Experience of the survey: The survey was little bit lengthy as it was almost 7 pages long. Generally, people pay little attention to conduct a lengthy survey. Length of 3-4 pages is quite effective for gathering the feedbacks of common people. The questions were good enough to gather the feedbacks against the infrastructure of the university, but too many questions were used in the same area. I got tired to answer some the questions which are about the same fact. The open ended questions were good to collect the viewpoints of the students about the infrastructure of the university and the experiences gathered by the students to complete the study within the university. The questions were clear enough to understand the meaning and then give proper answer to the questions. The questions can be treated as leading as these were able to collect the details about the different types of experiences of the students. I would like to prefer the closed questions, because these questions are less time consuming. Choosing an option from some specific alternatives is much easier than providing written answers. The overall experience can be shared through the use of the close ended questions where the answers to the open ended questions is required to be analyzed to get the idea about the overall experience i.e., whether it is good or bad. I would like to choose the close ended questions for my own research work. Common people have less interest to give responses to the work of another person. In this context, too lengthy questions which require a lot of words to be written will not be able to get the desired level of interest of the target population of the data collection. As the close ended questions takes less time for thinking about the answers, the people will be able to give their responses quickly. The answers which are come within an instance are more effective to know the actual perception of the people. This activity helped me a lot to understand the practical implementation of the data collection process through the use of the survey questionnaire. I have gathered the knowledge of practical issues from my own experience of participating in a survey. I will use this experience in my future research work to achieve the desired level of success by avoiding the potential issues. I will avoid the use of the facts which made me less interested to take participate in the survey such as the wordy open ended questions or similar types of questions. I will also try to design a short questionnaire of 3 to 4 pages. References: Bryman, A. (2006). Integrating quantitative and qualitative research: how is it done?.Qualitative research,6(1), 97-113. Johnson, R. B., Onwuegbuzie, A. J. (2004). Mixed methods research: A research paradigm whose time has come.Educational researcher,33(7), 14-26. Krathwohl, D. R. (2009).Methods of educational and social science research: The logic of methods. Waveland Press. Onwuegbuzie, A. J., Leech, N. L. (2006). Linking Research Questions to Mixed Methods Data Analysis Procedures 1.The Qualitative Report,11(3), 474-498. Venkatesh, V., Brown, S. A., Bala, H. (2013). Bridging the Qualitative-Quantitative Divide: Guidelines for Conducting Mixed Methods Research in Information Systems.MIS quarterly,37(1), 21-54

Ku Klux Klan Essays - Anti-Catholicism In The United States

Ku Klux Klan Many say that the horror that Hitler and his Nazi group caused back in WWII will never happen again. Today many people act like Hitler, but there some groups that worship him. This group the KKK or Ku Klux Klan is an example of that Hitler's hate still lives in people. The KKK has been around since 1865. The birth of the Klan was in Pulaski, Tenn., in 1865. This was formed as a social club by a group of Confederate Army veterans. Nathan Bedford Forrest who was a former Confederate General, was the Klans first leader, called the Grand Wizard. The group took its name from the Greek word kylos the meaning circle, and the English word clan. The things the Klan stands for are: (from the KKK.com website) The White Race - The irreplaceable hub our nation, our Christian Faith, and the high level of Western culture and technology. America First - First before any foreign or alien influence or interest, and a foreign policy of military nonintervention. The Constitution - As originally written and intended the finest system of government ever conceived by man, which is based on the Holy Bible and Christian Common Law. Free Enterprise - Private property and or ownership of business, but an end to high-finance exploitation. We advocate economic nationalism and we oppose the Federal Reserve Bank and so-called "Free Trade". Positive Christianity - The right of the American people to practice there Christian faith-including prayer in schools. Many Klan members and supporters are involved with the growing Christian Identify religion, which continues to unite the Christian Patriot Movement in the United States. Recent things that the KKK have done are: Klan membership rose to about 10,000 by 1980 Klan members and their supporters killed 5 anti-Klan demonstrators in Greensboro, NC. Klan members murdered a black youth in a Mobile, Alabama in 1981 Klan members also continue the traditional cross burnings to prove their points. As you can see the Hitler hate groups are just like the KKK. By these actions, the way Hitler can rise again, if we dont stop them these groups and if they get too powerful we might just have another Holocaust. This is a serious problem for the world and if we dont do anything we might have another World War, and we dont want that do we? Bibliography World Book. 1997. "Ku Klux Klan." World Book Multimedia Encyclopedia Internet. www.kkk.com. "The things the Klan stands for." 1999. Internet. www.k-k-k.com. "history of the Klan." 1999.