S1 ANSLLM

1nL LIIL AND WCkkS

O Anselm was born of a wellLodo famlly aL AosLa ln norLhern lLaly (clrca 1033)
O ln 1060 he [olned Lhe 8enedlcLlne monasLery aL 8ec ln normandy (normandle) where Lhe Lngllsh
prelaLe Lanfranc was prlor
O ome Llme laLer afLer Lanfranc was called Lo Lngland Lo become archblshop of CanLerbury Anselm was
elecLed abboL of 8ec
O e composed Lhe Moooloqlom (ollloquy 1077) ln whlchreflecLlng Lhe lnfluence of L AugusLlnehe
spoke of Cod as Lhe hlghesL belng and lnvesLlgaLed Cods aLLrlbuLes
O ln 1078 he conLlnued hls pro[ecL of falLh seeklng undersLandlng compleLlng Lhe ltosloqlom (ulscourse)
O ln 1093 Anselm was called Lo succeed Lanfranc as Lhe archblshop of CanLerbury
O As archblshop Anselm enLered lnLo a Llme of greaL sLrlfe wlLh klng Wllllam ll Lhe successor of Wllllam
Lhe Conqueror over Lhe churchs lndependence of Lhe klngs conLrol uue Lo LhaL he was ln and ouL of
Lngland ln exlle ln lLaly
O ln 1100 when enry l succeeded Lo Lhe Lngllsh Lhrone Anselm reLurned Lo CanLerbury ConLroversy wlLh
Lhe klng conLlnued over lnvesLlLure wlLh anoLher perlod of exlle for Anselm Anselm reLurned Lo
CanLerbury ln 1106
O 8esldes LhaL Anselm led a llfe of confllcL wlLh Lhe secular powers uesplLe Lhese power sLruggles he
conLlnued hls Lheologlcal speculaLlons wrlLlng ot ueos nomo (Why Cod 8ecame Man) a sLudy of Lhe
lncarnaLlon and cruclflxlon of ChrlsL as a way of aLonlng for sln
O e dled on Aprll 21 1109
kLASCN AND IAI1n
O @here are Lwo source of knowledge aL Lhe dlsposlLlon of ChrlsLlans namely reason and falLh
O Anselm sald one musL flrsL become flrmly esLabllsh ln falLh
O alLh ls for a ChrlsLlan Lhe glven polnL from whlch he ls Lo sLarL
O @he facL LhaL he ls Lo undersLand and LhaL reallLles LhaL hls reason shall have Lo lnLerpreL are glven Lo hlm
by revelaLlon
O And so one does noL undersLand ln order Lo belleve buL on Lhe conLrary one belleves ln order Lo
undersLand oepoe eolm pooeto lotelllqete ot cteJom seJ cteJo ot lotelllqom
O ln shorL undersLandlng of falLh presupposes falLh
O @o undersLand one's falLh ls Lo draw nearer Lo Lhe very slghL of Cod
O ence Anselm sald Lhe order Lo be observed ln Lhe search for Lhe LruLh flrsL Lo belleve Lhe mysLerles of
falLh before dlscusslng Lhem Lhrough reason nexL Lo endeavor Lo undersLand whaL one belleves
O noL Lo puL falLh flrsL ls presumpLlon noL Lo appeal Lo reason nexL ls negllgence 8oLh Lhose faulLs musL
Lherefore be avolded

1nL LkIS1LNCL CI GCD IN 1nL MCNCLCGIUM
O @he proof esLabllsh on Lhe reason alone @he demonsLraLlon presuppose Lhe accepLance of Lhe Lwo
prlnclples
O @he prlnclple whlch glven Lo us ln experlence as an observable facLs namely LhaL Lhlngs are unequally ln
perfecL
O A shorL of lmmedlaLe lnLellecLual evldence namely LhaL Lhlngs whlch possess perfecLlon ln a hlgher or
lower degree derlve lL from Lhe same perfecLlon Laken ln lLs supreme degree
1he argument goes ||ke th|s
O All men seek Lo en[oy only Lhose Lhlngs LhaL Lhey conslder good
O ence every ob[ecL of deslre ls regarded or concelved as good where good ls undersLood as elLher a
useful or noble ob[ecL
O ense experlence and lnLellecLual reflecLlon shows LhaL Lhere are lnnumerable ob[ecL LhaL vary ln
goodness and lnLenslLy of deslrablllLy
O @hls mulLlpllclLy demands a slngle unlfylng prlnclple of explanaLlon whlch also serves as prlnclple of order
among Lhe degrees of goodness
O uch prlnclple cannoL have Lhe same generlc characLerlsLlcs as do oLher ob[ecLs of deslre
O ConsequenLly Lhe good LhaL ls Lo be Lhe prlnclple of all goods LhaL admlL Lhe varlaLlon ln degree of
goodness musL lLself noL admlL of any varlaLlon ln degree
O ence Lhe prlnclple of order musL be a supreme good
O or any good LhaL can be LhoughL or percelved Lo vary ln degree can be nelLher selforderlng nor self
explanaLory
O @he noLlon of a supreme good means LhaL lL ls good ln ln lLself lnce oLher goods are good because of Lhe
supreme good Lhe supreme good musL also be Lhe mosL noble or mlghLy good
O @he ob[ecL of deslres have naLures LhaL Lhemselves vary ln degree of worLh or dlgnlLy
O ence Lhe supreme good Loo musL have naLure or essence LhaL ls supreme
O lL follows LhaL Lhe supreme naLure ls Lhe orderlng prlnclple of all oLher essences or naLures
O 8uL Lhe supreme naLure cannoL belng Lhe prlnclple of Lhe oLher naLures cannoL lLself have an orderlng
prlnclple
O ence he musL unquallfledly auLonomous or selfsubslsLenL
O As corollary lL follows LhaL all oLher naLures or essences proceed from Lhe supreme naLure

1he summery of the reason|ng
1 Men deslre Lhe ob[ecL LhaL Lhey Lhlnk Lo be goodob[ecLs LhaL vary ln degree of goodness
2 8ecause Lhe varlance ln degree ls lnLelllglble Lhere musL exlsL an lnvarlable prlnclple of order @he
supreme good LhaL ls Lhe4 source of all goodness
3 @he ob[ecLs of deslre have naLures LhaL vary ln worLh and dlgnlLy
4 8ecause Lhe worLh of naLures varles ln degree Lhere musL exlsL a supreme naLure LhaL ls lnvarlable and
does noL admlL of comparlson

1nL AkGUMLN1 CI kCSLCGICN
We know aL leasL Lhe word Cod we even belleve LhaL Cod exlsLs LhaL he ls whaL we belleve hlm Lo
be namely o beloq tboo wblcb oo qteotet coo be coocelveJ

O #Anu Lu u @D W u@ ClvL DnuL@AnulnC @ Al@ ClvL ML A A @D
knWL@ l@ @ 8L l@A8LL @ DnuL@Anu @A@ @D A@ A WL 8LLlLvL Anu @A@ @D
A@ @A@ WlC WL 8LLlLvL"
O @he argumenL for Lhe exlsLence of Cod ls resLrlcLed Lo Lhe flrsL of Lhls concerns LhaL ls undersLandlng tbot
tboo ott os we belleve
O L Anselm Lakes on falLh LhaL Cod ls #a belng Lhan whlch noLhlng graLer can be concelved"
O @hls verbal formula of Lhe bellef ls undersLood by everyone who hears Lhe words
O 8uL whaL ls aL lssue ls noL LhaL one undersLand Lhe words buL LhaL whaL Lhe words slgnlfy does exlsL
aparL from Lhe undersLandlng of Lhe hearer
O L Anselm argues LhaL Lhere ls dlfferenL beLween someLhlng exlsLlng boLh ln facL and ln Lhe
undersLandlng only
O e add LhaL Lo exlsL ln boLh ways #ls greaLer" Lhan Lo exlsL ln Lhe undersLandlng only
O ConsequenLly he concludes LhaL by undersLandlng Lhe meanlng of Lhe Lerm of Cod one musL undersLand
LhaL Cod exlsL aparL from Lhe undersLandlng
1nL SNCSIS CI 1nL AkGUMLN1
O L Anselm says
1 l hold on falLh LhaL oJ exlsts
2 l hold on falLh LhaL e ls #tbot tboo wblcb ootbloq qteotet coo be coocelveJ
3 l raLlonally examlne Lhe conLenL of Lhe concepLs glven by Lhe falLh
4 lL ls lmposslble LhaL Lhe undersLandlng of Lhose concepLs LoLally encompasses comprehends or conLalns
Lhe meanlng of #LhaL Lhan whlch noLhlng graLer can be concelved"
3 ence Lhe undersLandlng can now Lruly afflrm whaL was already held on falLh le LhaL Cod exlsL
exLramenLally and ls LhaL we belleve
6 Clven Lhe meanlng of Cod on falLh lL ls lmposslble for reason Lo concelve LhaL e does exlsL

SCML DIIILkLNCL IN IN1LN1
IkCM 1nL 1WC AkGUMLN1S

Monologlon ros|og|on
#Treuts of God & hls creutlon
# Beglns wlth ussumptlon concernlng the
uctlon und nuture of creutures thut ure evldently
multlple
udvlses the reuder to enter the lnner chumber
of the mlnd.
# Reflects on God und hls uttrlbutes.
O # Beglns wlth slngle ussumptlon ubout the
meunlng of the term God.

O # A mutter of fulth seeklng understundlng.

O A1kI8U1LS CI GCD AND CkLA1ICN
O nce Lhe exlsLence of Cod has been proven by any one of Lhese proofs lL ls easy Lo deduce hls prlnclple
aLLrlbuLes
O lnce Cod ls LhaL whlch cannoL noL exlsL he ls 8elng ot exelleoce (plenlLude of enLlLy)
O e also bears Lhe LlLle esseotlo whlch slgnlfles Lhe plenary enLlLy
O egardlng Lhe creaLlon Lhere are Lwo hypoLheses are posslble elLher Cod ls Lhe producLlve cause of Lhe
unlverse or he ls Lhe very maLer from whlch Lhe unlverse ls made
O lf we admlL Lhe second hypoLhesls we lmpllclLly admlL LhaL everyLhlng ls Cod or lndeed Cod ls LoLal
belng lf Lherefore Lhe world was made on any parLlcular maLLer Lhls maLLer musL necessarlly be ldenLlcal
wlLh Cod's belng
O ln order Lo avold Lhls absurd consequence we musL admlL LhaL Lhe world was creaLed ouL of noLhlng
O @he docLrlne of exolblllo ls Lhe only one whlch does noL reduce Cod and Lhe unlverse and Lo one slngle
belng
O L Anselm says creaLures are preexlsLenL ln Cod lL ls even Lrue LhaL ln Cod Lhey are noLhlng else Lhan
Cod Already presenL ln hls LhoughL creaLures only came ouL of lL Lhrough Lhe effecL of hls Word Cod
#sald" Lhem and Lhey were

1nL CCNCL1 CI 1nLCLCG
O @he Lheology of Anselm ls so full of raLlonal speculaLlon LhaL one of hls hlsLorlan has labeled lL a #ChrlsLlan
raLlonallsm"
O e ls called Lhe faLher of scholasLlclsm @he [usLlflcaLlon ls LhaL he was Lhe one who pursued Lhe ldea of
Lheology whose dlalecLlcal rlgor Lurn lnLo a klnd of sclence
O ln Lhls sense he was Lhe forerunner of Lhe LhlrLeen cenLury scholasLlcs whose amblLlon lL wlll be Lo Lo
bulld up wlLh falLh a sclence of falLh