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Anselm of Canterbury

Born in 1033, St. Anselm was a philosopher of the Middle Ages, a much respected monk who later became the Archbishop of Canterbury, England. He is generally considered to be the father of scholasticism, employed by the medieval university academics that sought to interweave the tremendous works of the ancient philosophers with the Christian theology of the day. Its fundamental objective was to resolve issues through dialectic reason (stating an argument’s thesis, antithesis and synthesis) and was more an instrument of learning rather than a philosophy in itself.

In his famous work Proslogium, St. Anselm was perhaps the first to theorize a sophisticated ontological argument for the existence of God. Known as an a priori argument, the ontological argument typically applies logical principles to argue for the necessary existence of God. For example, Anselm believed that by trying to conceive of the greatest being, one is led to conclusion that this greatest being exists because it is greater to exist than not exist.

St. Anselm is one of only 33 Doctors of the Catholic Church, an honor bestowed on theologians whose teachings are believed to be of great significance to the Church as a whole.

Web Resources On Anselm of Canterbury

IEP: Anselm
Wikipedia: Anselm

Book Resources On Anselm of Canterbury

Anselm of Canterbury: The Major Works by Saint Anselm
St. Anselm of Canterbury: A Chapter in the History of Religion by J. M. Rigg

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