OCR A-Level Philosophy | Essential Videos for Exam Success - "God MUST Exist" | Malcolm's Ontological Argument

👉 https://untanglephilosophy.com What if God either has to exist or couldn’t possibly exist? In this video, we explore Norman Malcolm's ontological argument. His 1960 paper “Anselm’s Ontological Arguments”, revives and reinterprets a version of Anselm’s Ontological Argument, and argues that if the concept of God is logically possible, then God must exist necessarily. Malcolm’s ontological argument distinguishes itself from earlier versions by focusing on necessary existence rather than existence as a perfection. Malcolm argues that Anselm actually offers two arguments in the “Proslogion”. The first—the familiar idea that God is that than which nothing greater can be conceived, and that existing is greater than not existing—is rejected by Malcolm as flawed. Like Kant, he argues that existence is not a predicate; it doesn’t add to the concept of a being. But Anselm’s second argument, which focuses on God as a necessary being, is, in Malcolm’s view, more philosophically defensible. To understand necessary existence, Malcolm appeals to the idea of dependence. A contingent being—like a person, a penguin, or a planet—depends on something else for its existence. It might not have existed, and it relies on external conditions to continue existing. But a necessary being would be entirely independent, self-sufficient, and timeless. Such a being wouldn’t begin to exist, wouldn’t cease to exist, and wouldn’t rely on anything else to exist. If God exists, Malcolm argues, He would be this kind of being: a necessary being. Malcolm’s central claim is that God’s existence has to be either impossible or necessary. If God doesn’t exist, then He never did and never could—His existence would be impossible. But if His existence is even possible, then He must exist necessarily. There’s no room for the claim that God just probably exists, or might have existed under different conditions: either the concept of God is incoherent, or God exists necessarily. To reject Malcolm’s conclusion, one must show that the very idea of God involves a contradiction—such as incoherent attributes like omnipotence. But traditional theology often argues that God’s powers don’t include the logically impossible (like creating a square circle), which means that line of attack may not succeed. Nonetheless, Malcolm hasn’t positively shown that God possible existence necessarily entails His necessary existence. Malcolm’s argument also operates as a conditional: if the idea of God is coherent, then His existence must be necessary. That “if” is where the real philosophical battle begins. Perfect for University Courses & A-Level Philosophy & Ethics OCR & AQA or equivalent. 🔍 Key Points Covered ▸ Norman Malcolm’s ontological argument ▸ The distinction between necessary and contingent existence ▸ Why Malcolm rejects Anselm’s first argument but defends the second ▸ Dependence as the key to understanding necessary being ▸ God’s existence is either impossible or necessary 📖 Chapters 00:00 Introduction – All or Nothing? 00:20 Anselm’s Two Arguments in the Proslogion 01:06 Necessary vs. Contingent Beings in terms of Dependency 01:42 Malcolm’s Ontological Argument Explained 02:23 Is God’s Existence Impossible? 03:30 Conclusion and What’s Next 🔔 If you enjoyed this video, don’t forget to subscribe for more philosophy content! 👍 Like and share to help others find this video. 🗨️ Have thoughts or questions? Drop a comment below! 📷 instagram.com/untanglephilosophy 🎵 tiktok.com/@untanglephilosophy 📺 More from Untangle Philosophy https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL85Fs8yMgt8pJv5pJejeqh9Zv-o0W_DIW 🔬 Sources and Further Reading Malcolm, N. (1960) ‘Anselm’s ontological arguments’, The Philosophical Review, 69(1), pp. 41-62. Oppy, G., Rasmussen, J. & Schmid, J. (2024) Ontological Arguments. Available at: https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2024/entries/ontological-arguments/ (Accessed: 12 May 2025). #OntologicalArgument #NormanMalcolm #ocr #alevel #religiousstudies Code: UTTLW3ET6QRGTWMD