The Modal (Realist) Ontological Argument

Abstract

This article aims to provide a new ontological argument for the existence of God. A specific ‘modal’ version of the ontological argument—termed the Modal Realist Ontological Argument—is formulated within the modal realist metaphysical framework of David K. Lewis, Kris McDaniel and Philip Bricker. Formulating this argument within this specific framework will enable the plausibility of its central premise (i.e., the ‘Possibility Premise’) to be established, and allow one to affirm the soundness of the argument—whilst warding off two oft-raised objections against this type of natural theological argument.

Modal Ontological Arguments

“…However, the structure of MOAs does not require such description, and some contemporary proponents develop arguments using alternative descriptions. For instance, Stacey (2021) characterises God as "Unlimited Being", whilst Sijuwade (2022) boldly asserts that God is a "maximal power trope", doubtless to the chagrin of any readers attracted to apophatic theologies. Finally, some MOAs contain fewer premises than TMOA.…”