God Exists

If there is any major theme in Anselm: Basic Writings it is that God exists. While presumed true in Cur Deus Homo, the existence of God is to be established in both the Monologium and the Proslogium. While the Monologium was written before the Proslogium, the Proslogium comes first in the book. In the Proslogium, Anselm argues that God is the being "greater than which nothing can be conceived." In other words, God is the greatest possible or greatest conceivable being. Anselm argues that since it is better for a thing to exist than not to exist, then God can only be the greatest possible/conceivable thing if He exists. Therefore, he concludes God exists. The argument, however, is much more complicated than this and must be studied with care.

Anselm's argument in the Monologium is different, however. Anselm follows Plato in arguing that the only way...