Author(s): WITHAM Larry

Philosophy and Religion

Stating the idea that the idea' and 'reality' of God were the same, Anselm of Bec provoked enormous controversy through his radical approach: rather than appealing to the Bible, church authority or the physical senses, Anselm employed the faculties of his mind to craft a method of logic that paved the way for modern thought. Larry Witham traces humans' modern conceptions of faith and reason back to Anselm's formidable claim. In an attempt to 'prove God', Anselm unleashed a raging medieval debate and this history, biography and philosophy further examines his statements.'