ontological argument

American  

noun

Philosophy.

1. an a priori argument for the existence of God, asserting that as existence is a perfection, and as God is conceived of as the most perfect being, it follows that God must exist; originated by Anselm, later used by Duns Scotus, Descartes, and Leibniz.

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ontological argument British  

noun

1. the traditional a priori argument for the existence of God on the grounds that the concept itself necessitates existence Compare cosmological argument teleological argument

2. any analogous argument from the nature of some concept to the existence of whatever instantiates it

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Etymology

Origin of ontological argument

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

Explain Anselm’s ontological argument for the existence of God.

From Textbooks • Jun. 15, 2022

In addition to their hypothetical argument, the Congress also made an ontological argument.

From Slate • Mar. 10, 2011

They have such high-sounding names—the ontological argument, the cosmological, the physico-theological—that almost in spite of ourselves we bring a reverential mood to them.

From An Outline of the History of Christian Thought Since Kant by Moore, Edward Caldwell

Kant has put this point in clear light in his criticism of the ontological argument.

From Creative Evolution by Mitchell, Arthur

On this dualistic basis, the ontological argument becomes a manifest paralogism, and lies open to all the objections that Kant brought against it.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 4 "Carnegie Andrew" to "Casus Belli" by Various