Anselm's Discovery: A Re-Examination of the Ontological Proof of God's Existence [Paperback]

Charles Hartshorne (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1991

Did Anselm, in his "Ontological Argument" (first advanced around 1070), make one of the greatest intellectual discoveries of all time, or did he merely fall into an interesting blunder? In his day, Anselm was criticized by Gaunilo. Subsequent philosophers have generally considered Gaunilo's criticisms to be weighty. Descartes' attempt to resuscitate Anselm's argument led to Kant's supposed refutation, which most later philosophers have considered to be fundamentally sound. Charles Hartshorne has brought back the "Ontological Argument" as a major problem of modern philosophical analysis, and "Anselm's Discovery" has been described as his most systematic exposition of the history of the subject. According to Hartshorne, generations of philosophers have read Anselm superficially, and have failed to see that Anselm presented two forms of the Argument, the second involving a genuine conceptual breakthrough.

Product Details

• Paperback: 348 pages
• Publisher: Open Court Publishing Company (October 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0875482171
• ISBN-13: 978-0875482170
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,317,165 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most of the Ontological Argument has been overlooked., July 17, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Anselm's Discovery: A Re-Examination of the Ontological Proof of God's Existence (Paperback)

Charles Hartshorne, demonstrates that most scholars ignored the superior argument of Anselm's Proslogium 3. Indeed, many philosophers and critics never even read the actual text, but only heard it second hand. A student in religion or metaphysics would reap incredible benefits by studying this text, for if anything, it teaches that God is a possibility, regardless of theology or skepticism. Hartshorne, though dense in his language at times, leaves the reader with a richer understanding of life

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Necessary Reading For All Scientists and Theologians, February 3, 2005

By 

George Shollenberger (Martinsburg, West Virginia United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Anselm's Discovery: A Re-Examination of the Ontological Proof of God's Existence (Paperback)

If my research on the author of this book is correct, the author died on 10/9/00 at the ripe age of 103. His philosophical work must have been widely accepted because he was honored by the Library of Living Philosophers in Vol XX. He studied Anselm for a long time having written his thesis at Harvard in 1923 on the "Ontological Argument Invented by Anselm." The Argument was issued by Anselm at about 1070 AD. So, if one wants to judge Anselm's work on the "Ontological Proof for God's Existence," this book is a great one from a great philosopher. This popular and important 1965 book was printed again in 1991

Anselm shows that we cannot prove that God does not exist beause we cannot conceive of things that do not exist. So, when people say that God does not exist, they are entering a domain of thought that is uncertain. A more certain path lies with reasoning.

For instance, with reasoning, Anselm concludes that God's existence is necessary and that ordinary existences apply only to things found in the universe. I believe that his line of reasoning goes this way: if the existence of things in the universe are ordinary, they either exist or do not exist. In modern science, these ordinary existences would be known as contingent existences. But, contingent has no meaning without its opposite, necessity. Thus, unless contingent eisistences coexist with a necesary existent, a one-sided universe is being conceived. Anselm's line of reasoning seems to move his thoughts into dialectical thinking, panentheism, and an eternal world consisting of God and Nature.

The author shows why nine centuries of refutations produced many errors in comprehending Anselm's writing. For six centuries, Anselm's Proof was simply ignored. But, in the next three centuries, fifteen authors cite the Proof and ten of them accept his proof.

So, this book is important to believers in God.