Philo

Volume 12, Issue 2, Fall/Winter 2009

Theism and Naturalism

Peter van Inwagen
Pages 217-227

Some Remarks on the Modal Ontological Argument

This paper examines the so-called modal ontological argument. It pays special attention to the role that the symmetry and transitivity of the accessibility relation play in the argument, and examines various approaches to a defense of the “possibility premise,” the premise of the argument that states that the existence of a perfect being is metaphysically possible. It contains an analysis of Gödel’s attempt to show that this premise is true, and of a recent formulation by David Johnson of Gödel’s argument.