St. Anselm: Basic Writings - In Behalf of the Fool Summary & Analysis

St. Anselm
This Study Guide consists of approximately 29 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of St. Anselm.

St. Anselm: Basic Writings - In Behalf of the Fool Summary & Analysis

St. Anselm
This Study Guide consists of approximately 29 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of St. Anselm.
This section contains 271 words
(approx. 1 page at 400 words per page)
Buy the St. Anselm: Basic Writings Study Guide

In Behalf of the Fool Summary and Analysis

The Appendix of Anselm: Basic Writings contains two documents, Gaunilo's "In Behalf of the Fool" and Anselm's reply. Gaunilo's piece is a critique of Anselm's ontological argument in the Proslogium. Gaunilo's argument is that Anselm's Ontological Argument, if correct, proves too much. He gives the famous counterexample of the greatest conceivable island. To explain, on Anselm's view, God is greater than a being with all of God's properties save existence (God*) because God possesses existence and God* does not. And since it is greater to exist than not to exist, God must exist because if He didn't, He would not be the greatest conceivable being. Gaunilo draws an analogy with the greatest conceivable island. The Greatest Conceivable Island is greater than an island with all of the Island's properties save existence (Island*) because...

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This section contains 271 words
(approx. 1 page at 400 words per page)
Buy the St. Anselm: Basic Writings Study Guide
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