Proslogium Summary and Analysis

After Anselm wrote the Monologium, he reports that he became dissatisfied with the high degree of complexity of his arguments. Anselm believes that, following various Scriptural passages, the existence of God must be obvious. Therefore, it should be relatively easy to construct a simple argument for God's existence that can convince anyone who honestly and calmly considers it. That is the task of the Proslogium. The Proslogium contains twenty-six chapters; however, each chapter is intended to establish a single point; consequently, the chapters are short, some less than a page. Thus, they will be treated as a single work.

Anselm begins the Proslogium in the preface by stating his dissatisfaction with the Monologium and his rationale for writing the Proslogium; he believes that his project of proving God's existence is a case of "faith seeking understanding". Anselm knows what he believes...