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8 - Lewis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 November 2018

Graham Oppy
Affiliation:
Monash University, Victoria
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Summary

In ‘Anselm and Actuality’, David Lewis argued that the assessment of Anselm’s ontological arguments is best achieved when the familiar modal expressions in which the arguments are typically formulated are translated into counterpart theory. I present Lewis’s fascinating translations of the ontological argument found in Anselm’s Proslogion II. Lewis’s formulations are interesting and ingenious, but not especially charitable. There are several better, and more credible, translations of Anselm’s argument into counterpart theory. The argument in revised translation is valid and its premises are all plausible – far more plausible than those offered in Lewis’s original translation. Some concluding remarks are offered in the final section.
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Ontological Arguments , pp. 155 - 175
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2018

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  • Lewis
  • Edited by Graham Oppy, Monash University, Victoria
  • Book: Ontological Arguments
  • Online publication: 01 November 2018
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316402443.009
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  • Lewis
  • Edited by Graham Oppy, Monash University, Victoria
  • Book: Ontological Arguments
  • Online publication: 01 November 2018
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316402443.009
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Lewis
  • Edited by Graham Oppy, Monash University, Victoria
  • Book: Ontological Arguments
  • Online publication: 01 November 2018
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316402443.009
Available formats
×