Paper Abstract
St. Anselm of Canterbury's Ontological Argument, his substantive reasoning for the existence of God, is outlined in his 'Proslogion.' Though the essential components to St. Anselm's argument were utilized by philosophers and theologians in later years, including Immanuel Kant, it was not without criticism. Gaunilo, a monk of the abbey of Mamoutier, did not accept the premises presented by St. Anselm, and Gaunilo wrote a his retort to St. Anselm's suppositions entitled 'A Reply on Behalf of the Fool.' This 6 page paper presents an overview of the arguments of St. Anselm and then reflects upon the significance of the challenge presented by Gaunilo. Bibliography lists 5 sources.
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