ontological argument
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noun Philosophy.
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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Also called ontological proof .
Origin of ontological argument
First recorded in 1875–80
Words nearby ontological argument
onto function, ontogenesis, ontogenetic, ontogeny, ontological, ontological argument, ontologism, ontologize, ontology, on top, on top of
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for ontological argument
British Dictionary definitions for ontological argument
ontological argument
noun philosophy
the traditional a priori argument for the existence of God on the grounds that the concept itself necessitates existenceCompare cosmological argument, teleological argument
any analogous argument from the nature of some concept to the existence of whatever instantiates it
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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