The Ontological Argument
Dr Hatfield
Aim to understand the difference
between a priori and a posteriori
• A priori (before) does not start from
experience.
• A posteriori (after) experience is needed
• Focus on the word prior and posterior to help
you remember which way round they are.
• So...... A priori are things that once you have
learnt (e.g. This is particularly easy to relate to
mathematical relationships) you do not need
any further experience to conclude that the
premise is true.
• A posteriori you need further experience or
evidence to know whether the premise is
correct.
Which of these are a priori and which
are a posteriori?
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A bachelor is an unmarried man.
A triangle has 3 sides.
Mr Smith is a bachelor.
All bears are brown.
All bears are animals.
• What makes this statement true?
All bears are animals.
• What makes this statement true?
• By analysing the word bear it must be an
animal.
• It does not make sense for the bear not be an
animal.
• ( we are not talking about teddy bears
Paddington bear or any toy bears)
Come up with 2 other a priori
statements about bears
Come up with 2 other a priori
statements about bears
• All bears will die.
• All bears have bones.
All St TM A2 R.E. Students live
in brick houses?
Is this statement a priori or a
posteriori?
• Explain your answer.
• Divide a page into 3, the first column will be the widest
as it will contain statements.
• WORK IN PAIRS
• Come up with 5 statements (about anything) that
include a priori and a posteriori statements.
• We will visit each others groups write down and asses
their satements.
• We will then peer assess each other’s answers.
Analytic and synthetic are distinctions
between types of statements
Immanuel Kant in Critique of Pure
Reason to find some sound basis for
human knowledge.
• If a statement is synthetic,
• Kant says if a statement is
its truth value can only be
analytic, then it is true by
determined by relying upon
definition. Examples
observation and experience.
include:
Its truth value cannot be
determined by relying solely • Bachelors are unmarried.
Daisies are flowers.
upon logic or examining the
meaning of the words
involved. Examples include:
• All men are arrogant.
The president is dishonest.
Aim to understand the difference
between a priori and a posteriori
• A priori (before) does not start from experience.
ANALYTIC
• A posteriori (after) experience is needed
SYNTHETIC
• Focus on the word prior and posterior to help you
remember which way round they are.
St Thomas Aquinas says ‘God exists’ is
a synthetic statement (a posteriori)
• It makes no sense to say there is no God like it
makes no sense to say there aren’t any bears.
• Both statements are based on evidence and
may or may not be true (a posteriori)
Aquinas says:
• If we did know God’s essence it would be
possible to know God’s essence includes God’s
existence but we cannot know this.
Theories to prove God’s existence
• List them.
• Are they a priori or a posteriori?
The Ontological argument
• This is different in that it is an a priori
argument
Plenary
• Produce your own definition and an example
of a statment for;
• A priori/ANALYTIC
• A posteriori/SYNTHETIC