Compare and Contrast the Cosmological and Ontological Arguments.

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Compare and Contrast the Cosmological and Ontological Arguments

        “Why do I exist? What created the universe? Does God exist?” Questions which have challenged philosophers for many years. The Cosmological and Ontological arguments attempt to answer these questions. Through this essay I hope to explore the methodology and formation of the arguments in their early stages, and their development through the years. I will also explore the extension of the arguments in the modern era, for both supporters and critics of the arguments. The modern era provides a wide range of developments to the arguments, and I will explore the  ideas and thoughts of many 20Th Century philosophers. At the core of this essay is the two very different approaches of the arguments, the a posteriori based Cosmological, and the a priori based Ontological .

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        The two approaches of the arguments are based around the a priori and a posteriori reasoning. An a priori arguments is one where the truth of the proposition does not depend on prior experience. It relies on knowledge collected outside of our own experiences. This is said by some to be an innate knowledge. The ontological argument is based around this reasoning. The basis of the argument itself depends on ones understanding of the nature of God. The argument attempts to prove Gods expistence through the meaning of the word GOD. The Cosmological argument on the other hand, is a ...

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