not all anons are authentic
-The Ontological Argumentā by St. Anselm
From the Proslogium
1/2
Lord, I acknowledge and I thank you that you have created me in this your
image, in order that I may be mindful of you, may conceive of you, and
love you; but that image has been so consumed and wasted away by vices,
and obscured by the smoke of wrong-doing, that it cannot achieve that
for which it was made, except you renew it, and create it anew. I do not
endeavor, O Lord, to penetrate your sublimity, for in no wise do I compare
my understanding with that; but I long to understand in some degree your
truth, which my heart believes and loves. For I do not seek to understand
that I may believe, but I believe in order to understand. For this also I
believe, āthat unless I believed, I should not understand. . . .
Truly there is a God, although the fool has said in his heart, There is no
God.
AND so, Lord, do you, who do give understanding to faith, give me, so
far as you knowest it to be proļ¬table, to understand that you are as we
believe; and that you are that which we believe. And indeed, we believe
that you are a being than which nothing greater can be conceived. Or is
there no such nature, since the fool has said in his heart, there is no God?
(Psalms xiv. 1). But, at any rate, this very fool, when he hears of this
being of which I speakāa being than which nothing greater can be con-
ceivedāunderstands what be hears, and what he understands is in his un-
derstanding; although he does not understand it to exist.
For, it is one thing for an object to be in the understanding, and another to
understand that the object exists. When a painter ļ¬rst conceives of what he
will afterwards perform, he has it in his understanding, but be does not yet
understand it to be, because he has not yet performed it. But after he has
made the painting, be both has it in his understanding, and he understands
that it exists, because he has made it.
Hence, even the fool is convinced that something exists in the understand-
ing, at least, than which nothing greater can be conceived. For, when he
hears of this, he understands it. And whatever is understood, exists in the
understanding. And assuredly that, than which nothing greater can be con-
ceived, cannot exist in the understanding alone. For, suppose it exists in
the understanding alone: then it can be conceived to exist in reality; which
is greater.
Therefore, if that, than which nothing greater can be conceived, exists in
the understanding alone, the very being, than which nothing greater can
be conceived, is one, than which a greater can be conceived. But obvi-
ously this is impossible. Hence, there is doubt that there exists a being,
than which nothing greater can be conceived, and it exists both in the un-
derstanding and in reality. . . .
God cannot be conceived not to exist. āGod is that, than which nothing
greater can be conceived. āThat which can be conceived not to exist is
not God.
AND it assuredly exists so truly, that it cannot be conceived not to exist.
For, it is possible to conceive of a being which cannot be conceived not
to exist; and this is greater than one which can be conceived not to ex-
ist. Hence, if that, than which nothing greater can be conceived, can be
conceived not to exist, it is not that, than which nothing greater can be
conceived. But this is an irreconcilable contradiction. There is, then, so
truly a being than which nothing greater can be conceived to exist, that it
cannot even be conceived not to exist;. and this being you are, O Lord, our
God.
So truly, therefore, do you exist, O Lord, my God, that you can not be
conceived not to exist; and rightly. For, if a mind could conceive of a be-
ing better than you, the creature would rise above the Creator; and this is
most absurd. And, indeed, whatever else there is, except you alone, can
be conceived not to exist. To you alone, therefore, it belongs to exist more
truly than all other beings, and hence in a higher degree than all others.
For, whatever else exists does not exist so truly, and hence in a less degree
it belongs to it to exist. Why, then, has the fool said in his heart, there is no
God (Psalms xiv. 1), since it is so evident, to a rational mind, that you do
exist in the highest degree of all? Why, except that he is dull and a fool?
. . .
2/2
How the fool has said in his heart what cannot be conceived. āA thing
may be conceived in two ways: (1) when the word signifying it is con-
ceived; (2) when the thing itself is understood. As far as the word goes,
God can be conceived not to exist; in reality he cannot.
BUT how has the fool said in his heart what he could not conceive; or how
is it that he could not conceive what he said in his heart? since it is the
same to say in the heart, and to conceive.
But, if really, nay, since really, he both conceived, because he said in his
heart; and did not say in his heart, because he could not conceive; there
is more than one way in which a thing is said in the heart or conceived.
For, in one sense, an object is conceived, when the word signifying it is
conceived; and in another, when the very entity, which the object is, is
understood.
In the former sense, then, God can be conceived not to exist; but in the lat-
ter, not at all. For no one who understands what ļ¬re and water are can con-
ceive ļ¬re to be water, in accordance with the nature of the facts themselves,
although this is possible according to the words. So, then, no one who un-
derstands what God is can conceive that God does not exist; although he
says these words in his heart, either without any or with some foreign, sig-
niļ¬cation. For, God is that than which a greater cannot be conceived. And
he who thoroughly understands this, assuredly understands that this being
so truly exists, that not even in concept can it be non-existent. Therefore,
he who understands that God so exists, cannot conceive that he does not
exist.
I thank you, gracious Lord, I thank you; because what I formerly believed
by your bounty, I now so understand by your illumination, that if I were
unwilling to believe that you do exist, I should not be able not to under-
stand this to be true.
sauceā¦ https://philosophy.lander.edu/intro/articles/anselm-a.pdf
extra sauceā¦. https://philarchive.org/archive/COCXOA