Proslogion

The Proslogion is one of Anselm of Canterbury authored in the early scholasticism 1077/78 work. It is considered the first work that contains an ontological proof of God, and therefore became more philosophical-historical importance.

• 3.1 Introduction
• 3.2 argumentation
• 3.3 final

• 5.1 Texts
• 5.2 Literature

Genesis of the title of the work

According to Anselm's Proslogion which was written to the Monologion following and how this had originally only no and then another title. These were the original title " exemplum meditandi de ratione fidei - example how to meditate on the basis of faith " or " Fides quaerens intellectum - faith, looking for insight," which the medieval ground positions credo ut intelligam and intellectus fidei reflect. Only by Archbishop Hugh of Lyons, who, like Anselm writes, by virtue of his apostolic authority ordered him to put the author's name in front of the works, named Anselm his works in " Monologion - self-talk " or " Proslogion - Title " to.

Possibilities for classification of the work

The Proslogion is a penned in Latin work, which consists of a preface and a total of 26 chapters. A key concern of the Proslogions it is how Anselm writes, God by a " single argument - unum argumentum " prove what many artists and not least the meritorious publisher Karl Barth and Franciscus Salesius Schmitt to moved the work into two parts ( Chapter II to divide IV and Chapter V -XXVI ). This classification was later criticized in that they will the work as a whole does not do justice, so in addition to other Michael Corbin as the center of the work the chapter XV constituted, in which it says that God is " something greater " is, " as can be imagined ", and the work, therefore, is divided into a total of 11 sections, of which the first (A -E) and the last five ( E' -A ') correspond to symmetric.

Classification by Michael Corbin

The ontological proof of God

The Anselm himself as " unum argumentum " designated argument in Chapters II - V gained not least because of the reception by Descartes and Leibniz, by criticism of Thomas Aquinas and Kant, as well as the counter- criticism of Hegel to Kant's Critique greater awareness. The term " ontological argument" was awarded the " unum argumentum " only by Kant in his Critique of Pure Reason, in which he attempted to have the impossibility of an ontological proof of God.

Introduction

His proof of God clothed Anselm in a prayer. It begins with a request that God would give him the necessary knowledge for its project. As this garment is to be evaluated, is controversial. From time to Anselm (see intellectus fidei ) also attributed to why a faith- scientific position, which emphasizes understanding a truth of faith is possible only by faith. Unlike accentuated to emphasize some performers, the autonomous position of reason in the penetration of all the truths of faith.

Accordingly, it is not only controversial whether and under what conditions his remarks conclusive, but also whether they are intended as a strictly logical proof.

Argument

Central to the argument is Anselm's concept of God: God is "the beyond which nothing greater can be thought " (id quo nihil majus cogitari potest ).

Anselm develops his argument in three steps. He wants to refute the gate of Ps 14.1 ELB who speaks in his heart there is no God. First results from Anselm, that even a fool who denies the existence of God, had to admit that if he understood the concept of God presented, this exists in his mind ( esse in intellectu ) because everything was understood, had in mind.

In the second step Anselm argues as follows: That, beyond which nothing greater can be conceived, can not exist only in the mind, as otherwise might be thought that it exists in reality ( esse in re), which would be larger. That, beyond which nothing greater can be thought, would not be that beyond which nothing greater can be thought. It infers Anselm that beyond which nothing greater can be conceived, must exist in reality.

In the third step of the argument is Anselm the thesis that from the beyond which nothing greater can be thought, could not even be thought of, it does not exist. It could in fact be thought that something exists that can not be thought of as not existing. But that would be greater than something that can be thought of that it does not exist.

Closing

After Anselm set out its arguments that the beyond which nothing greater can be thought, not only exists but there is necessary, followed by an intermediate prayer in which he that about which nothing greater can be thought beyond, identified with God.

His proof of God Anselm closes with a prayer of thanks.

Criticism and counter- criticism

A first criticism learned of Anselm's proof of God shortly after its release by the monk Gaunilo of Marmoutiers. Among the implications of a term can not include the existence of the thing so designated. Otherwise, someone could also form around the concept of a perfect island and conclude in analogy to Anselm's proof that their excellence prove their existence - which would obviously be absurd. Anselm met this objection with the fact that his argument solely on the notion of beyond which nothing greater can be thought is applicable.

A second counter-argument refers to the fact that Anselm the superiority of necessary against kontingentem or of real versus only imagined to His presupposes unfounded.

Denied a third counter-argument that it could that about which nothing greater can be thought to give, because for every larger still something greater can be thought. It can be in the sense of Anselm's reply that that about which nothing greater can be thought, should not be misunderstood as the " greatest conceivable " or "greatest imaginable ", but is greater than anything that can be imagined. So Anselm committed in Chapter XV of the Proslogion: " Lord, You are not only beyond which nothing greater can be thought, but something greater than can be imagined. "

For a critique of Kant's ontological argument see the proof of God.

The Kantian rejection of the ontological proof of God has already been criticized Hegel, and even up to the present Kant's criticism of philosophers and theologians is controversial.

Hans Jürgen Verweyen for example, takes in his analysis of the Proslogion Anselm to Kant's Critique in protection and agrees with the core of his argument: "If covered all the reason itself as unquestionably real and the idea of ​​God as their deepest and true driving force, then it must itself as the lead back they alone explanatory reason in this movement to the real existence of God. That is not an " ontological " argument more, no impermissible step from merely imaginary to real being, but step inside a reality that reveals its own structure. "

Sources and Literature

Text output

• Proslogion: Latin / German. Translation, annotations and afterword by Robert Theis. Reclam, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-15-018336-7
• Proslogion: investigations. Lat.-dt. Ed ed. Franciscus Salesius Schmitt. From man - Holzboog, Stuttgart / Bad Cannstatt 1995, ISBN 3-7728-0010-6
• Proslogion. Latin text and translation of the chapter. 2-4: Hans Jürgen Verweyen: Ask for God: Anselm's concept of God as a guide. Ludgerus, Essen 1978, pp. 90ff. Online text
• Opera omnia. Edited by Franciscus Salesius Schmitt. Seckau and Others 1938-1961, supplemented reprint 1984, ISBN 3-7728-0011-4 Vol 1, pp. 89-139.