...could not be denied because to do so would involve adopting an illogical argument. It was formed by St. Anselm (1033-1109), but is still a strong argument for the existence of God today. Anselm firstly argues nothing greater than God can be conceived and secondly, it is greater to exist than not to exist. He next explains that if we conceive of God as not existing, then we can conceive of something greater than God. To conceive of God as not existing is not to conceive of God. Anselm states that it is inconceivable that God doesn’t exist and therefore God exists. Anselm thought that not believing in God is ridiculous, claiming it is better to exist in the mind and in reality than to just exist in the mind. Existence is a predicate of perfection. Therefore God must exist in reality. ‘The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’’ (Psalm 14).Anselm stated that even an atheist must have a definition of God because even the suggestion that God does not exist requires the concept of God. It seemed logical to conclude that to argue that there is no God; even the fool must understand the concept of God. Since the greatest thought must have an equivalent reality to be greater than even the least significant thing in reality for God to be the greatest thought, God must exist. Anselm went on to prove that God must exist in reality too since he exists in our thoughts. Anselm used the analogy of how a painter imagines beforehand what he wants to paint. The painter has in his understanding...
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...The character trying to remove his wife’s birthmark is an example of human obsession with perfection, which makes the modern world sick. Yet, imperfection is the sign of being alive, so it is impossible to reach perfection without dying. Besides, the characters of Aylmer and Georgiana are symbols, too, and embody science and nature, respectively. Finally, the symbolism of the story reveals the issue of repressed and sick femininity. Speaking of symbolism, it is quite natural that it is Georgiana’s birthmark that is the core symbol. Aylmer is a successful scientist whose discoveries border on the supernatural. He seems to be quite happy with his beautiful wife, yet it suddenly strikes him that her birthmark is a spot that tars her beauty. As a researcher and alchemist, he is obsessed with achieving the maximum result, and it is true that artificially created objects can be flawless unlike living people. However, he is so deepened into the realm of science and technology, that he sees his whole life through that lens, and is unable to appreciate nature as it is. Because of this Georgiana becomes an object of him manipulation, and at this moment the man is far from being in love with her as she is. The symbolism of the birthmark reveals an idea that people strive for happiness but falsely believe that being happy is equal to being perfect. Unless this thirst is satisfied, it is impossible for them to be pleased. So they choose to chase after the ghost...
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...Is proof for the existence of God's necessary? Monica Carter PHI 208: Ethics and Moral Reasoning Zummuna Davis October 3, 2012 When you ask a human how the universe evolved some will say that man created the universe. Next question, how can man create something in outerspace? Now the room is silent, why is that? How can you answer a question that cannot be answered. So why do you need proof that God exist, what will that prove, that people are actually worshipping God, instead of a what people say is an inanimate object. In the beginning God created the heaven and earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters (Genesis 1:1-2). There are many traditional proofs for the existence of God, and we will look at three, the argument from design, the ontological argument and the cosmological argument. There are many ways that the universe might have been, it might have had different arrangement of planets and stars; it might have begun with a bigger or smaller big bang; the vast majority of these universes would not have existence of life. We are fortunate indeed to have a universe that does. The argument of design, picture looking at a rectangular skyscraper and examined the structure within it, you might think that this intricate structure was not the outcome of mere chance, but had been designed. Now look at the universe, is it possible that such...
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...being’. He argued that a being which is the most perfect is necessary. He argued that God is the ‘supremely perfect being’ he must possess attributes associated with perfection such as beauty, existence, goodness and being eternal. In his writings Descartes argues that the existence of God cannot be doubted and is similar to the truths of mathematics which can also not be doubted and used his ontological argument to demonstrate this He uses an example of a triangle to do this. A triangle by nature has three sides, three interior angles which add up to 180 degrees. Descartes refers to this as being ‘immutable’ meaning being unable to change. Similar to a triangle, God has an ‘immutable’ nature and his existence is a part of this. He argues that the interior angles of a triangle equating to 180 degrees is a fundamental part of its nature such as the existence of God. This demonstrates that existence according to Descartes us a predicate of God. Existence according to Descartes is vital to God’s perfection and that the essence of God is to exist. Descartes in this context refers to perfection as something that is not lacking in anything. For example the idea of the perfect car is simple an idea and is not perfect unless it exists in reality A more potent example is proposed by Descartes who states that it is impossible to...
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...The Unattainability of Perfection: A Critical Analysis of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Birthmark” Perfection is one of the most sought-after qualities in society. People are willing to shell out large sums of money for dieting plans, training regimens, and plastic surgery – all in an attempt to be perfect, whether that means having a slim waist, a defined core, or a more attractive nose. However, nobody is flawless. Even if an individual alters their physical appearance to what they believe to be “perfect,” they will nonetheless have other, non-physical faults that will limit their ability to attain perfection. Nathaniel Hawthorne, a 19th century American writer, expressed his feelings about the attainability of perfection in his fiction. In particular, in "The Birthmark," Hawthorne uses the birthmark as a symbol, the characterization of Georgiana, and the foreshadowing of Georgiana's death to promote the unrealistic nature of perfection; Hawthorne highlights the impracticality of flawlessness so that society, in general, will stop going to great lengths trying to achieve the unachievable and, instead, spend their collective time more productively. To begin with, to endorse the improbability of perfection, Hawthorne establishes Georgiana’s birthmark as a symbol of earthly imperfection. For instance, the birthmark is described as being “the fatal flaw of humanity which Nature […] stamps ineffaceably on all her productions, either to imply that they are temporary and finite,...
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...The first idea, which is expressed in point 2, is that being that there is a comprehensible idea of a being that represents all of the perfections. In other words, it asserts that we have a clear idea of a being that posses every property that makes a being greater, given that all other things are equal, than it would have been without the “great-making” properties. Point 3 helps prove that the existence is perfection and a great-making property. The concept of a being that has all the perfections very much implies that it indeed does exist. The ontological argument proves many important points, which caused a spark of criticism from many others when...
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...born. Although not everyone accepted these new ideas, many did. Benjamin Franklin was definitely a product of this new age. Benjamin Franklin at the age of sixteen accepted deism as his religion. Franklin believed in the perfectibility of man. By altering his lifestyle he removed morals from religion in believing one should do good because it is useful in this world, not the next. Without having to consider original sin from Adam and Eve, which would have made it impossible to achieve perfection. Unlike Puritans who believed they had to reach moral perfection to please God. Franklins deism allowed him to strive for this perfection. His strategy for accomplishing his goal was by following his thirteen virtues. He made a little brown book so he could recorded the faults he had that day. In his Autobiography Franklin hints at his secularization of virtue, “vicious actions are no harmful because they are forbidden, but forbidden because they are hurtful”(818). Franklin did not feel that he truly reached this perfection, mainly because, “inclination was sometimes too strong for reason”(913). Later stating that, “I was by the endeavor a better and happier Man than I otherwise should have been, if I had not attempted it”(917). As we look at Franklin’s thirteen virtues all of them deal with the betterment of oneself and mankind. Franklin has truly defined his secularization of...
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...First, The Crucible Acts 1-2 will be summarized. People begin to talk about witches and the town becomes frightened. Because the “cursed” girls accused so many people, the court decided to hold trials. They began arresting people that looked guilty at first, because of who they are. After a while, innocent people who went to church were arrested. Since the court wanted to rid their world of evil, they began to hang and arrest innocent people. Next, the events in “The Birthmark” will be discussed. A male chemist was married to a beautiful lady. The lady had a red birthmark on one of her cheeks that looked like a hand. The husband despised this mark and wished to remove it. The wife was weary about this at first, but then she realized...
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...When reading through a magazine, you may flip through the pages and find the phrases “thin is in” or “the perfect body”. You then notice a slim and nearly perfect woman photographed on this page and start to wonder “ Why can’t I look like her?”. You are not alone. The media has began to influence our body image through television, magazines, commercials, music videos, and other forms of advertisement. The media links beauty and thinness to love, happiness and success. Then the question emerges, what influence do these images have on the many children, men and women observing these images? That answer is very simple; Poor self image and esteem is produced. Negative opinions of ourselves are not born with us, but however are constructed after...
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...In the Proslogion, St. Anselm puts forth the ontological argument that God cannot exist in the mind alone. According to Anselm, everybody has in his conscious an idea of God as a being of infinite perfection that nothing else matches. As the “Greatest Conceivable Being”, God would necessarily have to exist in reality if He is capable of existing in the mind, as existing only in the mind would render Him less than perfect. Therefore, the being imagined to only exist in the mind would not be God, as a greater being could still be conceived—one that actually exists. This leads Anselm to conclude that God existing only in the mind is a logical contradiction, and must mean that God exists in reality as well. Anselm also responds to a critic of his argument, Gaunilon, who is speaking on behalf of a hypothetical atheist (“the Fool”). Gaunilon reasons that by the same logic that Anselm uses, one could conceive of an island that possesses “…an inestimable wealth of all manner of riches and delicacies in greater abundance than is told of the Islands of the Blest; and that having no owner of inhabitant, it is more excellent than all other countries, which are inhabited by mankind, in the abundance with which it is stored.” (387). If this perfect island can be conceived, it exists in the understanding. By Anselm’s logic, according to Gaunilon, the island would have to exist in reality as well; if it only existed in the understanding, one could still imagine an even more perfect island...
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...Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “The Birth-Mark”, he shows us the folly of human nature and our obsession with perfection. Hawthorne conveys his message through his main characters Aylmer, a scientist and lover of nature, and his beautiful wife, Georgina, who bears a small, crimson colored, hand-shaped birthmark upon her left cheek. Despite the amount of love that Aylmer has for his wife, he can’t help but to become engulfed with the mark that stains his wife’s cheek that keeps her from being perfect. Being a man of science he decides to create an elixir to remove her one flaw. “The Birth-Mark” is a story filled with potent symbolism to illustrate the scientist’s superficial endeavor, destructive irony, and a theme that provides us with moral allegory. The birth mark represents various things throughout the story, the most predominate symbol in this story is Georgina’s birthmark, which symbolizes the imperfection of human nature and mortality. Georgina was admired by many men, for she “came so nearly perfect from the hand of Nature” (Hawthorne 291), but the only man she craved admiration from was Aylmer, who was not able to get past the slightest defect that blessed her cheek. The presence of the crimson stain deeply takes over his mind and dreams, it deeply disturbs him because it reminds him of his wife's humanity and mortality when he is on a quest for divine perfection. Though the birthmark is undoubtedly the bluntest use of symbolism in this story, Aylmer and Aminadab, Aylmer’s...
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...Man is an imperfect being filled with contradictions. Therefore, he attempts to attain a preexisting notion of perfection of self, which itself is biased and subjective. Ellison, recognizing this timeless tendency of humankind, asserts in his novel Invisible Man that conforming to man-made ideologies can only result in chaos and destruction. Throughout his life, man seeks to find his perceived perfection, either by conforming to his own values or to other “societal” values. By doing so, however, he loses his own self-esteem and heavily relies on others for motivation and criticism. This trend of conformity is very evident in high schools, where students strive to be a part of a particular clique by following the latest fashion and updating themselves about the latest...
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...------------------------------------------------- DON’T WAIT FOR PERFECT MOMENT, TAKE THE MOMENT AND MAKE IT PERFECT SEPTEMBER 2015 SEMESTER ________________________________________________________ COURSE CODE | : | BPME 6023 | COURSE NAME | : | NEW VENTURE CREATION | PROJECT TITLE | : | DON’T WAIT FOR PERFECT MOMENT, TAKE THE MOMENT AND MAKE IT PERFECT | | | | | | | | Introduction “The time will never be ‘just right’. Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along.” Napoleon Hill When it comes to many things in life, we tend to wait around for that perfect timing in order to go for the new venture. The problem with this mentality is that it sets us up for disappointment, stagnation, and failure. There is not necessarily a perfect time or day for anything. However, there is a better way, a way to take action now, to move forward and to start the new venture instead of merely dreaming it. 1.0 Don’t wait for perfect moment 1.1 The Economy Some of the most common fears about starting businesses relate to how “the economy” is doing. Most people see it as a big setback. If the economy is in a lull, many would be entrepreneurs assume that now must necessarily be the wrong time to get started. This belief is reinforced by nay-saying politicians and journalists who exaggerate even the very worst economic news. An entrepreneur should see difficult economics time...
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...However, there are many who believe the opposite, and that there should be as few restrictions as possible. The movie GATTACA is an example of a dystopian future where the advancement and role of technology in our society has been allowed to run unchecked. Ironically, GATTACA, through its obsession with perfection, has created a world less perfect than the one that came before. The value of human life, individuality, relationships, and morals are corrupted. In GATTACA, we are presented with a society where genetic engineering and perfection are worshipped, and anything less is unacceptable and is discriminated against. As Vincent says in the movie, “We have discrimination down to a science.” Every aspect of a person’s life is determined by their genetic code: their job, their personal relationships, and even their basic civil rights. Yet even the genetically advanced suffer from “the burden of perfection.” The world of GATTACA is so totalitarian in nature that human rights are trampled upon and individuality is suppressed. Surely, this is not a perfect world. Vincent would certainly agree. He laments the ways in which society has changed in the ongoing pursuit to create perfection. Old values can no longer contain the same message and relevance. The belief of what it means to be human has changed and diminished, with human life not valued in the same way that it used to be. That term, human life, takes on a new meaning. “If we can design people, human life is simply a commodity...
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...How would one feel if they were killed or kicked out of a group just because you are different.The residents of Waknuk are getting further away from perfection. This is important to understand because as we are getting further away from perfection soon enough there will be no interaction between humans The Chrysalids by John Wyndham is a book about a group that that only accepts people that match god's description of a perfect human being. The residents of Waknuk are getting further away from perfection because they are not able to welcome people that are different, kids are divided from normal and abnormal and outsiders are not welcomed in the Waknuk community. The residents of Waknuk are getting further away from perfection because they are not able to welcome people that are different in the Waknuk people’s eyes. The statement is proven many times in this book, for example when Sophie and her family had to escape...
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