Gaunilo's Island
A reductio ad absurdum objection to the Ontological Argument. Gaunilo, an 11th-century critic of Anselm, argued that by Anselm's logic, a perfect island (than which nothing greater can be conceived) must exist in reality. Since this conclusion is absurd—the argument proves too much—the argument's reasoning must be flawed.
Real World
Imagine someone claiming that the perfect holiday destination must exist simply because they can conceive of it — Gaunilo used this style of parody to expose the flaw in moving from concept to reality, just as no amount of imagining a perfect Maldives resort proves it exists.
Exam Focus
Always explain why Gaunilo's objection is a reductio ad absurdum — show the parallel structure, then state why the conclusion is absurd.
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