Gaunilo of marmoutiers biography of william

French Benedictine monk and philosopher

Gaunilo or Gaunillon (fl. 11th century) was a Benedictinemonk of Marmoutier Abbey in Tours, France.

He is best known for his contemporary criticism of the ontological argument for the existence of God which appeared in St Anselm's Proslogion.

Gaunilo of marmoutiers biography of william

In his work In Behalf of the Fool,^[a] Gaunilo contends that St Anselm's ontological argument fails because logic of the same kind would force one to conclude many things exist which certainly do not.^[2] An empiricist, Gaunilo thought that the human intellect is only able to comprehend information provided by the senses.^[3]

Little beyond this essay is known of Gaunilo; no other extant writings bear his name.

Anselm wrote a reply to it, essentially arguing that Gaunilo had definitely missed his point.

The "Lost Island" refutation

Anselm claimed his ontological argument as proof of the existence of God, whom he described a