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Single Idea 5609

[from 'Critique of Pure Reason' by Immanuel Kant, in 28. God / B. Proving God / 2. Proofs of Reason / b. Ontological Proof critique ]

Full Idea

If the proposition 'this thing exists' is analytic, ..then either the thought is the thing, or else you have presupposed the existence and then inferred it, which is just a miserable tautology.

Gist of Idea

If 'this exists' is analytic, either the thing is a thought, or you have presupposed its existence

Source

Immanuel Kant (Critique of Pure Reason [1781], B625/A597)

Book Reference

Kant,Immanuel: 'Critique of Pure Reason', ed/tr. Guyer,P /Wood,A W [CUO 1998], p.566


A Reaction

I love the phrase "miserable tautology"! A possible strategy is to treat God as a self-evident a priori axiom. This would not be a tautology, but it would make evidence irrelevant. This may be the strategy behind Kierkegaard's 'leap of faith'.