St Anselm on the Goodness of God

Dr. Marilyn McCord Adams (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill)

St. Anselm thinks the goodness of God is both source and goal, the origin of the universe and the meaning of human life. Yet, his major works give Divine love short schrift. Does Anselm believe that God loves rational creatures? If so, why does it play such a small role in his arguments? To answer these questions, I first examine Anselm’s account of God’s metaphysical goodness, then of God’s justice and mercy, then Anselm’s conception of friendship, human and divine. Friendship turns out to be love’s context. I then try to explain how this affects Anselm’s argumentative strategies in his major works.