The ontological argument
"God is that than which nothing greater can be thought." From this definition alone Anselm deduced God’s existence — an argument attacked by Gaunilo, Aquinas and Kant, yet revived by Descartes, Hegel and Gödel.
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Anselm
Father of scholasticism, author of the ontological argument
Those Who Ground an Idea Into a Whole System · Disciples & School-Builders
ScholasticismRealismFaith and reason
Who they are
Anselm (1033–1109), Archbishop of Canterbury and founder of scholasticism, gave the famous ontological argument: God is "that than which nothing greater can be conceived," and since to exist in reality is greater than to exist in the mind alone, God must exist. His motto was "faith seeking understanding."
Primary sourcesAnselm, Proslogion
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Echoes today
Below are how modern works borrow or reinterpret this name or story — not the original material. The two differ, so keep them apart.
The ontological argumentAttacked by Kant, revived by Gödel in modal logic — still central to philosophy of religion.