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Mike asked:
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Why do so many philosophers have such a problem with the existence of a God?
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If we look back at the ancients, such as Plato, Aristotle and others, as well as those who come slightly
later, Plotinus and move forward to the Enlightenment as look at people such as Descartes, we will
see that they do no not have a problem with the existence of God.
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Philosophy seeks to detect errors in thought, or at least to construct a methodology for a 'right way' of
engaging with the great human problems. Some philosophers see the existence of God as part of the
problem and not part of the solution. Others see God as being the source of philosophy in so far as
they accept the notion that God creates at every level including the cognitively reflective, and the
ability even to question the existence of God is a gift from God.
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Philosophy further seeks to encounter and analyse that which can be demonstrated. God cannot be
demonstrated empirically, and thus we must move into the realm of faith and belief. While this faith
and belief can be supported philosophically, as well as theologically, some philosophers would
question the first proposition of a philosophical approach to God in that they would wish the criteria
'God exists' to be demonstrated.
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The famous 'ontological proofs' of Anselm, Aquinas, Scotus make certain metaphysical presumptions
e.g. that there is such a thing as Being, that there is existence, that being and existence are
co-terminus and from this certain conclusions can be made concerning the nature of being and
existence inasmuch as all being takes its being from the primal source of Being as being-in-itself.
Duns Scotus said that this was the primary object of metaphysics.
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Philosophers who do have a problem with the existence of God do so because their ideas, thought,
reflections have led them to that conclusion. At the same time, since the existence of God cannot be
empirically demonstrated, the non-existence of God cannot be empirically demonstrated either. In the
end we are all to a certain degree faced with which side of Pascal's Wager we take.
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Fr Seamus Mulholland OFM
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