definitions

ontological argument

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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Nearby words

onto-, ontogenesis, ontogenetic, ontogeny, ontological, ontological argument, ontologism, ontologize, ontology, onuf's nucleus, onus

Origin of ontological argument

First recorded in 1875–80
Also called ontological proof.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

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 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012