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Vy Truong
Professor Israelsen
Philosophy 1120
18 October 2016
An Objection to Anselm's Ontological Argument
Saint Anselm of Canterbury or St. Anselm was an archbishop and one of the great
philosopher, who was one of the first people to come up with the Ontological argument to prove
God's existence. Unsatisfied with his first work, the Monologion, he went out to think of a clean
and thoroughly, absolute way of proving God's existence, and that is his next book, the
Proslogion. The Proslogion was written in form of prayer, and meditation, discussing the idea of
God's existence in the mind, and then reality. This argument was subjected to many skeptics and
challenges. What did Anselm means by God is the greatest being that the mind can conceive, and
to what point would God's existence, in reality, makes him even greater? There is definitely a lot
of questions to go on about, but let's answer it.

Before we can argue about Anselm's argument for God's existence, the Proslogion, we
must first understand what it was about. In his argument, first premise it stated that God, as an
individual, being or nature that is something that nothing to which greater can be conceived. To
which this means nothing than simply that you are unable to think of something greater than
God, because if you could think of something that is greater than God, that itself would be God,
and if that something that is greater than God is God, then that just proved his point. Whatever

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you think that is the top, the number one, the ultimate, no matter how you argue, should be God,
and that was the first premise. Then, Anselm went on and states that if God is being that no
greater being can be conceived in the mind, then to which he should be even greater if he exists
in reality, and if these two premises are true, then God himself should exist in reality. That's a big
jump in between there, but from Anselm's understanding that God who exists in the mind is
unable to become the greatest being that one able to conceive if he does not exist in reality as
well. To which point, in order to become the greatest being that one can ever conceive he must,
then, exists in reality. Now, St.Anslem ontological argument, this discourse, is meant to be a
guide to prove that God exists, as presumed that God, himself exists already and this is simply an
argument to prove it. It is not to misunderstand that he gave an argument how you can create a
personal God inside your mind to which then, he can somehow become real because you came
up with him inside your mind. And yes, that is definitely to say that this is the Proslogion
argument written by Anslem to which its logic can certainly, if not definitely challenged by
many, including myself.
God is the greatest thing that it is possible for a human mind to conceive, to create, to
think of, I would like to challenge that idea. After all, the human mind is rather tricky, it has the
tendency to challenge things, come up with things, be very creative, we are, technically have the
unlimited power of our own mind, well, with a few exceptions to which like the motivation to do
homework of course, but theatrically, we have abilities to give birth to anything in our mind, a
potential that allow you to come up with God who is the greatest thing that is ever conceived.
Now, if you think about it, if the person who gave birth to God, to which exists in the mind is
you. And, in order to, think of God, you must create an idea of God inside your mind first, then if
you are the person who created God (in the mind) should be even greater than God himself. After

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all, you created him. God, by definition, is the creator of everything, and in your mind, you are
the creator of everything inside your mind, imagined up God, then shouldn't you also be, God?
That is to say, would you then, be God in your mind? You can technically, create the greatest
being inside your mind and call it yourself. And since you think, therefore you are, hence you
exists (change it to "I", if you will), basically, you can declare that you, yourself, are God.
Well, however, that argument seems unfair to St.Anslem, what if you have to think of the
greatest being that you could conceive that you have to presumed to think that he also somehow
must also have a footing outside of your all-powerful mind place, or at least the possibility, the
potential. "Well, that is strange, suddenly I cannot think of anything like that, the greatest thing
exists inside my mind as well as the possibility of exists in reality as well." Is something that you
can use to argue against St.Anslem's argument as well. Well, however, let's follow the rules and
think of something. Something like an absolute void, no air, no light, no sound, no matter, nor
antimatter or any something' at all. Not even time, thoughts, ideas you can force into it. After
all, it's nothing. This, void, this absolute zero, of everything, the absolute emptiness is the
greatest contradictions of all contradictions, yet somehow I believe for it to exist. However, this
void cannot be God, because its nature is not something because a void is simply a void. It's
nothing. It's an empty space that we created a name for, however, the inside of this void exists
nothing. Nothing passes through the void, nothing enters, go out, it simply just there. A void, to
which nothing created it, nothing become of it. It simply exists by itself. A container, space, a
something that is not is' if you will. Something that is so paradox that shouldn't exist, yet it
exists as a challenge to God, himself. Nothing exists there, nothing is there, nothing was there. If
there is something that exists of its natural that defies everything. An absolute contradiction that
"nothing" exists, then wouldn't it be at the same level as God? Even though the idea of its

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existence defies God, or so at least. Like God, everything has an idea of nothing, of a void. It is
hard to describe or imagining it, however, this is an absolute void or nothing, yet somehow it
exists as a small pocket somewhere in Colorado, I say. And since, it is absolute nothing, there is
no way you can detect it. You can only sense something. Well, if this void exists as something
that is simply there, by itself, exists but not existing then by the term greatest, something that
defies all logic should put into consideration as well. Well, that is if you could somehow wrap
your brain around that.
Then again, creating a void is something I feel making it unfair for St.Anslem's argument,
to which it's nothing but cheap counter argue, so maybe we should move on and try to
understand St.Anslem's idea of God. If God can only be greater as a being that exists inside our
minds, exists in reality as well, he must be even greater. Well, since St.Anslem's thought that it is
okay to add that if God's existence, in reality, can only make him greater, then why should we
stop there. For example, we can make God even greater, personally speaking, to which God's
existence is so true and divine that so clear in the mind that nobody ever on Earth can doubt the
existence of God. Also, he can be everywhere, whenever people asked him to help. I can also ask
him to help with homework on Saturday, or at least I hope so. These examples can be argued, but
I mean, if St.Anslem's greatest being you can conceive, who also exists, then why not add a few
more things on board. What if we add, that God's exists in every mind of every human being, or
animal's creatures, and living beings that have a mind because he's that powerful. I would like to
imagine that he has this ability, but is it possible for this to be true? Possible, but doubtable.
Somewhere, out there, probably a being that so devoid of everything that they do not know about
the existence of God, or has ever come across the thought of such existence. Well, at the end, to
tie up with my first argument, and I still want to add, what if that not only God exists inside my

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mind, and in reality, why not God exists in everywhere and created everything, to which he is all
states of matters. Everything is him, he is everything (but not the void though). To which, the
greatest thing that is ever conceived is "Everything" which is God, which is you, and me, and
perhaps my cat too. After all, a supreme being as a unit, singular thing, can just be "everything,"
right? So, my question is, are you God too?
Overall, that's my argument not honestly against, nor agreeing to the ontological
argument by St.Anslem, but in my opinion that it is lacking . That it is too simple, that's why it
has a very large chance to collapse upon itself, and many things to improve.

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Work Cited
Anselm, M J. Charlesworth, and Gaunilo. St. Anselm's Proslogion. , 1965. Print.