ontological argument
noun
: an argument for the existence of God based upon the meaning of the term God
Examples of ontological argument in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Gödel’s Proof, which is way beyond the powers of an English major to decode, wasn’t an attempt to convert atheists and agnostics into devout theists—presumably that was the goal of St. Anselm, who wrote what is considered the first ontological argument.
—
Steven Levy, Wired, 22 Oct. 2021
The very first step in the ontological argument rests on a naive construal of ordinary language, and the chain is no stronger than its weakest link.
—Sean Carroll, Discover Magazine, 10 Mar. 2011
So here is one formalization of the ontological argument, taken from a very nice exposition by Peter Suber.
—Sean Carroll, Discover Magazine, 10 Mar. 2011
That kind of ontological argument might be a hard sell for some Americans.
—David Marchesephotograph By Christopher Anderson/magnum, For The New York Times, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2022
April 27, 2020 There will surely be many disagreements about which titles are and are not included, some of which may lead us into tortured ontological arguments about what constitutes a summer movie in the first place.
—Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2020
Steven Levy, Wired, 22 Oct. 2021
The very first step in the ontological argument rests on a naive construal of ordinary language, and the chain is no stronger than its weakest link.
—Sean Carroll, Discover Magazine, 10 Mar. 2011
So here is one formalization of the ontological argument, taken from a very nice exposition by Peter Suber.
—Sean Carroll, Discover Magazine, 10 Mar. 2011
That kind of ontological argument might be a hard sell for some Americans.
—David Marchesephotograph By Christopher Anderson/magnum, For The New York Times, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2022
April 27, 2020 There will surely be many disagreements about which titles are and are not included, some of which may lead us into tortured ontological arguments about what constitutes a summer movie in the first place.
—Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ontological argument.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Ontological argument.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ontological%20argument. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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