Guidance for teachers
Challenge rating
Challenging
Video overview
Catherine Pickstock considers St Anselm’s Proslogion and the ontological argument for the existence of God.
Curriculum links
Widely relevant to A level and GCSE Philosophy of Religion and/or Christianity syllabuses. Suitable as an enrichment activity at Key Stage 4 and 5.
Suggested questions and activities
- To what extent do you believe the ontological argument is successful in proving the existence of God?
- What objections are there to St Anselm’s ontological argument and do they hold?
- What is the significance of the prayer format of the Proslogion?
- In Chapter 15 of the Proslogion, Anselm says that God is beyond what can be thought. Does this contradict the ontological argument in Chapters Two and Three?
