Platinga criticized Malcolm's argument because although it showed the necessary existence of the greatest possible being in some possible words, it did not successfully demonstrate that the greatest possible being exists in this actual world.
Platinga's response is in the form of a modal argument - modality refers to the necessity or contingency and possibility or impossibility of a statement. This can be analyzed in terms of possible worlds, which does not refer to another world but a complete description of how things could be. For example, a necessary truth is one that is true in every possible world and an impossible truth is one that is false in every possible world.
His argument distinguishes between excellence (i.e. dependent on properties that are true in some possible worlds) and greatness (i.e. dependent on properties that are true in every possible world).
Platinga's Ontological Argument can be summarized as:
1 - There is possible world W which contains a being of maximal greatness.
2 - A being of maximal greatness would have maximal excellence in all possible worlds.
3 - A being is only of maximal excellence if it is omniscient, omnipotent and morally perfect.
4 - [According to Premise 3] An omniscient, omnipotent and morally perfect being exists in W.
5 - [According to Premise 4] In W the statement "There is no omniscient omnipotent and morally perfect being" is impossible.
6 - An impossible truth is one that is false in every possible world.
7 - Therefore, the statement "There is no omniscient omnipotent and morally perfect being" is impossible in every possible world, including the actual world.
8 - Therefore, it is necessarily true (true in every possible world) that an omniscient, omnipotent and morally perfect being exists.
The main criticism of this argument is that it is reversible, which means that the same logic can be used to demonstrate rationally that a being of 'no maximality' rather than 'maximal greatness' exists. This suggests the argument is not valid because the opposite conclusion can be reached using the same sound argument.
Additionally, there is the question of whether the Judeo-Christian God is truly demonstrated.
Again, a really excellent outline that shows evidence of your own independent research. Well done - make sure you use Malcolm and Plantinga in your essay writing!
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