Single Idea 5611

[catalogued under 28. God / B. Proving God / 2. Proofs of Reason / b. Ontological Proof critique]

Full Idea

Being is obviously not a real predicate, i.e. a concept of something that could add to the concept of a thing.

Clarification

A 'predicate' here means a property

Gist of Idea

Being is not a real predicate, that adds something to a concept

Source

Immanuel Kant (Critique of Pure Reason [1781], B626/A598)

Book Reference

Kant,Immanuel: 'Critique of Pure Reason', ed/tr. Guyer,P /Wood,A W [CUO 1998], p.567


A Reaction

Kant's famous slogan against the Ontological Argument. The modern line is that existence is a quantifier, which stands outside a proposition, and says whether it applies to anything. It is worth considering the possibility that Kant is wrong.