Logic Presupposes God: a Transcendental Argument for God's Existence

Thanks to unitedandy for agreeing to debate this with me; he is a formidable opponent and I look forward to the challenging debate! ========= The preface ========= I will be presenting an transcendental argument for God from the existence of abstract objects - in this particular debate I will only focus on logical absolutes or the classical laws of logic/thought but readers should note that other transcendental arguments can be made. I will be arguing that only if you presuppose God's existence do you have a coherent and plausible account of the ontology and epistemology of the laws of logic. A transcendental argument is "a philosophical argument that starts from what a person experiences, and then deduces what must be the case for the person to have that experience." [1] In other words, they are arguments that seek to establish what is a necessary precondition for some particular phenomena. They generally take this form: For X to be the case, Y would have to be the case, because Y is a precondition of X. X is the case. So, Y is the case. Descartes famous "cogito ergo sum" could be stated as a TA. If I am able to doubt that I exist I would have to exist in the first place as existing is a necessary precondition of me doubting. I doubt. Therefore, I exist. ========== The Argument ========== So, a TA for God's existence from the laws of logic would go like this: 1) If God doesn't exist, the laws of logic would not exist. 2) The laws of logic do exist. 3) Therefore, God exists. ========== Definitions and Clarifications ========== Abstract object - is an object which does not exist at any particular time or place, but rather exists as a type of thing (as an idea, or abstraction). [2] Laws of logic - (1) the law of contradiction, (2) the law of excluded middle (or third), and (3) the principle of identity. That is, (1) for all propositions p, it is impossible for both p and not p to be true...(2) either p or not-p must be true, there being no third or middle true proposition between them...(3) if a propositional function F is true of an individual variable x, then F is indeed true of x...Another formulation of the principle of identity asserts that a thing is identical with itself; or simply that x is x. [3] Exist - to have actual being; be; [4] Ontology - is the philosophical study of the nature of being, existence or reality as such, as well as the basic categories of being and their relations. [5] Epistemology - the branch of philosophy that studies the nature of knowledge, its presuppositions and foundations, and its extent and validity. [6] The conception God I have in mind here is that of the Anselmian theist - the being of which no greater than can be conceived. The being with all compossible great-making properties or perfections. This TA doesn't purport to prove all of God's attributes but it does provide support for some key properties that God is said to have: aseity (necessary/self-existent and dependent on nothing), omniscience, and cognitive capability. ========== Rules ========== Round 1 - to be used for assent to the debate or any concerns before the debate starts. Con can also propose definitions or clarifications as well. Rounds 2 - 4 - are the rounds where we state our respective cases. I have no reason to suspect my opponent would try this but just for posterity's sake: no semantics! ========== Sources ========== [1] http://en.wikipedia.org... [2] http://en.wikipedia.org... [3] http://www.britannica.com... [4] http://dictionary.reference.com... [5] http://en.wikipedia.org... [6] http://www.answers.com...