Descartes and God Essay - 820 Words

Descartes and God Everywhere in this world there are debates on many things. Logic is often employed in order to understand and come to an agreement on these debated topics. One such topic, which is arguably the greatest topic of debate occurring in modern day, is the existence of God. Sure, many people believe in some sort of higher being, but how many of them try and use logic and rational thought to prove the existence of God. Many probably, however we will only look at one such person. Rene Descartes attempts to use his own logic to come up with the conclusion that a perfect being does exist and that being is in itself God in his book Meditations on First Philosophy. We must first look at the background of Descartes thought†¦show more content†¦The only true thing that cannot be doubted is that he himself doubts and thus exists (at the least as a thinking being), hence his Cogito ergo sum. Through this rational, â€Å"cogito ergo sum† meaning, â€Å" I think therefore I am,† and furthermore, â€Å"I am, therefore I exist†, Descartes rationalize his own existence. Thus his existence is that of an innate nature, however, Descartes also uses the idea of God as an innate idea as well. Is this possible, can he have an innate idea of an external being? Descartes begins his argument, of the existence of God, with the only thing he knows to be true; that through doubting, he must exist. By knowing he doubts he therefore does not know everything. This makes him imperfect. However, to know that he is an imperfect being he must therefore have an idea of what is perfection. And by having that idea, because he is finite and cannot come up with such an idea himself, a perfect being must exist- God. Knowing that he has an idea of perfection, Descartes continues to prove Gods existence by assuming everything must have a cause. This is known as the Principal of Sufficient Reason. Descartes views God as an innate idea, as is that of his own existence. The problem with thinking that God is an innate idea is that it does not include the ideas which others have of God. One would assume that if God were an innate idea, one that was planted in the mind, then all ideas of God would be the same. An instance where God is very differentShow MoreRelated Descartes : The Existence Of God1682 Words   |  7 Pages Descartes’ attempt to prove the existence of God begins with the Trademark argument. He reasons that by having an idea of an infinite being with a certain degree of â€Å"objective reality†, â€Å"there must be at least as much reality in the efficient and total cause in the effect of that cause† (40). Descartes’ idea of God has more objective reality of any of his ideas. Therefore, God must be the cause of his idea as a result of his existence. In what follows I will explain these terms and why theRead MoreDescartes and the Existence of God751 Words   |  3 Pagesï » ¿Descartes: The existence of God Over the course of his treatise Discourse on the Method, the philosopher Rene Descartes attempts to refute radical skepticism, or the idea that we can know nothing with the mind, because what we consider reality may simply be a delusion or a dream. Descartes begins, however, by taking a posture of doubting everything, and then attempting to discern what could be known for certain. Rather than attempting to affirm his existence, I thought that a procedure exactlyRead MoreDescartes Argument of God1540 Words   |  7 PagesGod Does Not Necessarily Have to Exist In Descartes’ Meditations, he makes the strong claim that God must exist. I will first explain what Descartes’s argument for God’s existence is, and then I will attempt to support the argument that God does not need to necessarily exist through objections and replies. Premise 1: â€Å"We have an idea of God as an infinite and perfect being.† First, Descartes believes that there are properties that are inherently perfect. For example, being good is a perfectionRead MoreDescartes, Berkeley, And God5780 Words   |  24 PagesDescartes, Berkeley, and God There are conflicting views between philosophers of the modern era pertaining to the existence of God. Even further, many of these philosophers who share the opinion that God does in fact exist also have opposing views as to how that affects their world view. For example, Descartes’s narrator, in the fifth meditation comes to the conclusion, that God, an almighty benevolent being, is no deceiver, and holds all perfection. Within this system, the narratorRead MoreDescartes s Theory Of God1490 Words   |  6 PagesWithin his work, Descartes presents the causal argument, in which he demonstrates the idea that God must exist because everything with an affect must have a cause . This is one approach that Descartes uses to show the proof of God. By the end of meditation two, following onto meditation three Descartes concludes that we as humans are considered as a ‘res cognitas’ in which we are recognised as a thinking thing. However due to humans being k nown as the ‘res cognitas’ that means God is the ‘perfectRead More Descartes Existence Of God Essay588 Words   |  3 Pages The existence of God has been a question since the idea of God was conceived. Descartes tries to prove Gods existence, to disprove his Evil demon theory, and to show that there is without a doubt something external to ones own existence. He is looking for a definite certainty, a foundation for which he can base all of his beliefs and know for a fact that they are true. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Descartes overall project is to find a definite certainty on which he can base all his knowledgeRead MoreDescartes And Spinoza On Nature Of God1282 Words   |  6 Pages This is certainly the case when it comes to Descartes and Spinoza, who are both adamant that their views provide the correct context and insight on their opinions of God. In Readings in Modern Philosophy by Ariew and Watkins, it is revealed that while both philosophers tend to agree on opinions like God being infinite, there are many reasons why Descartes and Spinoza disagree on the nature of God and their opinion of substance, for example, Descartes believes that there is more than one type ofRead More Descartes and the Existence of God Essay1140 Words   |  5 PagesDescartes and the Existence of God Once Descartes has realized that he can know with certainty that â€Å"I exist† is true, he continues to build on his foundation of truths. The truth about the nature of God, proof of God’s existence, and the nature of corporeal objects are considered, among others, after Descartes proves his existence. Descartes’ principal task in the Meditations was to devise a system that would bring him to the truth. He wanted to build a foundation from which all further philosophicalRead MoreDescartes Belief in God Essay1503 Words   |  7 PagesDescartes and God In his groundbreaking work, Meditations on First Philosophy, the French philosopher Rene Descartes lays the groundwork for many philosophical principles by attempting to â€Å"establish a bold and lasting knowledge† (171)1. The foundations for knowledge Descartes established would go on to influence a plethora of other philosophers and philosophical works. Descartes argues in his meditations first from the point of view of complete skepticism, using skepticism as a tool in order toRead MoreDescartes s View Of God1499 Words   |  6 PagesDescartes proved in earlier Meditations that he himself exists because he is able to think and reason. His thought and his own mental idea of himself acts as the only proof of his existence that cannot be doubted. Descartes has in himself the idea of God and says that something, including that idea, can’t come from nothing. So that idea must have come from somewhere. He purposes that he cannot be the cause of the idea that God exists because he is finite and God is not. God is infinite. Descartes