"ANSELM'S PRINCIPLE" IN HARTSHORNE'S MODAL ARGUMENT

I examine a type of objection lodged against the central premise in Hartshorne's reconstruction of Anselm's ontological argument. The main claim that the proponents of this type of objection have in common is that owing to the logical status of terms such as "exists" or "necessary existence," no legitimate inference can be made from Anselm's Principle to the actual existence of a Perfect Being. I will examine versions of this "logical leap" objection as set forth by Alston, Shaffer, and Hick. I argue that given a certain plausible interpretation of Anselm's Principle and of the necessity operator involved, the objections fail to undermine Anselm's Principle or the relevant inferences the argument draws from it.