Friday, July 24, 2015

The Modal Ontological Argument in a Nutshell

Premise 1:  I define God as a maximally great being.

Premise 2:  I define maximally great beings as beings that exist necessarily.

Conclusion 1:  Therefore, I define God as a being that exists necessarily.

Premise 3:  I define necessary existence as existence in all possible worlds.

Conclusion 2:  Therefore, I define God as a being that exists in all possible worlds.

Premise 4:  I define the actual world as an element of the set of all possible worlds.

Conclusion 3:  Therefore, I define God as a being that exists in the actual world.

Premise 5:  I define "existence" to mean existence in the actual world.

Conclusion 4:  Therefore, I define God as a being that exists.

Conclusion 5:  Therefore, God exists.