Anselm's Proslogion (SCM Briefly) - Softcover

Daniel, David Mills

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0334040388 ISBN 13: 9780334040385

Publisher: SCM Press, 2006

Synopsis

St. Anselm (1033-1109) was an Italian theologian and philosopher and the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1093-1097. He is best known for his work, Proslogion, in which he defends the Church and sets out his philosophy and argument for the existence of God, now known as the Ontological Argument. OA is now a commonly studied subject at schools and universities, yet this critical, original treatise outlining the OA is often misunderstood by readers. Here in the Briefly text, the author guides the reader through Anselm's argument concerning existence and whether it is an attribute of God in the same way omnipotence, omniscience and benevolence are believed to be. As such the argument is an a priori argument. It does not rest on proving God's existence from the empirical realm but on showing that God must exist logically (or that God's non-existence is illogical).The main idea behind Anselm's argument is that epistemology (what we know) IS ontology (what there is); or, that if it is possible to conceive of X, then X must surely exist.

About this title

Product Description:

as new unused

Review:

'The new "Briefly" series by the SCM Press does exactly what it says: it briefly introduces...key philosophical texts...in a very accessible way without compromising the ideas involved through oversimplification. The books are very useful for teachers...and also their students, who are able to read these short texts themselves' -- R.E. News, Autumn 2006

'The painless way to become well read...a sure-footed guide to complex and weighty matters...Daniel shows himself to be a sure-footed guide, with an obvious gift for presenting complex ideas clearly and concisely...' -- Church Times, October 2007

'This series provides a very useful and student-friendly stepping stone between secondary and primary texts...the contextual matter is concise and accurate and, most important, it is written with clarity and in an engaging manner...["Briefly: Anselm's Proslogion"] will be welcomed by students who would like to venture beyond their introductory texts, and may even be encouraged...to have a go at Anselm himself...they will certainly gain much more from this series than they would by reading the more general "Introductions". Apart from the obvious student market, many general readers will welcome such useful introductions to some of the great names of Christian history.' -- Journal of Education and Christian Belief, Spring 2007

'This two-part introduction to Thomas Aquinas' "Summa Theologica"...is well-designed for someone needing a "crash course" on the "Summa"...these two volumes admirably serve their purpose.' -- Journal of Religion and Theology, September 2007

About this edition

• Publisher: SCM Press
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0334040388
• ISBN 13: 9780334040385
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 96