Descartess Argument For The Existence Of God Essay

Descartes’s mission in the meditations was to doubt everything and that what remained from his doubting could be considered the truth. This lead Descartes to argue for the existence of God. For the purpose of this paper, I will first discuss Descartes’s argument for the existence of God. I will then take issue with Descartes’s argument first with his view on formal reality and varying levels of reality, then with his argument that only God can cause the idea of God. I will then conclude with Descartes argues that some ideas are more real than others. These ideas are those that represent substances and contain more objective reality. These ideas are first modes or accidents, finite substance, and infinite substance. Descartes†¦show more content†¦Humans are finite substances so they cannot come up with the ideas of infinite substances unless it were given to them by an infinite substance. Descartes continues that while we advance gradually each da y these attributes could never exist within us because we are only potentially perfect whereas God is actually perfect. Furthermore, Descartes argues that only God could be the author of his being because if it were he or his parent’s other finite substances that authored his being then he would not have wants or doubts because he would have bestowed upon himself every perfection imaginable to a finite being. Therefore, God exists because Descartes could not have thought of God because he is a finite substance thus the idea of God must have come from an infinite substance. Descartes continues in the fifth meditation, Descartes argues that geometric shapes like triangles exist as an idea in his mind and he can clearly perceive it. Descartes believed these geometric truths to be more evident than the existence of things that can be understood through the senses. Descartes then argues that since a triangle which does not exist in the material world can be distinctly perceiv ed to exist, God too must also exist because God exists as a clear and perceivable idea. From the idea of God Descartes can perceive God’s attributes and one of these attributes is that God exists. Therefore, DescartesShow MoreRelatedWhat Is Wrong With Descartes Causal Proof Of God1252 Words   |  6 PagesWhat is Wrong with Descartes’ Causal Proof of God ReneÃŒ  Descartes was born on 31 March 1596 in La Haye, France; a city which was later renamed as â€Å"Descartes† in his honor. his early life was not well documented until 1960, but it is known that he was familiar with mathematics and philosophy (Hatfield). Sometimes described as â€Å"The Father of Modern Philosophy†, not only considered a great philosopher, but also a great mathematician, contributed greatly for both areas – Cartesian geometry, for instanceRead MoreAnalysis of Descartes Argument788 Words   |  3 PagesWrite a three to four (3-4) paragraph essay (250 words) which analyzes the surprise ending of the reading selection.? Reading selection from Descartes Discourse on the Method (Part IV). Descartes begins with the problem of being able to prove his own existence but ends up with an argument proving the existence of God. Read more about the Discourse on the Method located at HYPERLINK http://www.earlymoderntexts.com/pdf/descdisc.pdf http://www. earlymoderntexts.com/pdf/descdisc.pdf. In his DiscourseRead MoreRene Descartes’s Trademark Argument States that God is the Center of the World875 Words   |  3 PagesAccording to Descartes’s â€Å"Trademark Argument† everything, mind and matter, has a cause in God’s respect. He believes that God exists due to the inference that if something is the cause of something else, that something exists. In the passage from page 25, part 5 of Renà © Descartes’s â€Å"Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy,† the author attempts to explain the meaning behind the way God decided to: create the world as we know it, and maintain it. Descartes uses logic-based reasoningRead MoreComparing The Matrix With Readings From Plato And Descartes1023 Words   |  5 Pagescontrasting The Matrix with readings from Plato and Descartes This essay will discuss The Matrix, from synopsis of the following; The Republic by Plato, depicting the famous cave allegory, and Meditations on First Philosophy by Descartes, offering doubt that some senses are accurate. By examining these two readings, and the movie, it will allow the author to show some comparisons, and to show how they are also different as this essay indicates the world is very real. The Matrix In TheRead MoreDescartes Method Of Doubt Essay1881 Words   |  8 Pages Question: Describe Descartes’ â€Å"method of doubt.† What beliefs does Descartes think survive his method of doubt? Do you agree with his arguments? Renà © Descartes (1556-1650) considered a rationalist claims that before we can describe reality or what it means to exist, one must know what reality and existence is. Descartes proposed that it is pointless to claim something is real without justification. However for something to be justified it must be also be indubitable. In [Renà © Descartes, MeditationRead MoreThe Existence Of The Material World1632 Words   |  7 PagesDescartes had a lot of curricular arguments surrounding the questions â€Å"What exist and how?† He had to overcome his doubts in the first meditation in order to provide evidence in the fifth meditation that he could use to prove the existence of the external world. This proof would require him to come up with two explanations. First, he had to come up with alternative, yet still possible, causes that create our ideas of the material world and that those material objects alone cause our ideas. SecondlyRead MoreWhat Advantages Does Spinoza’s Su bstance Monism Have over Descartes’ Dualism?3467 Words   |  14 PagesEthics was a response to Descartes’ dualism. Through works such as the Ethics, Spinoza seeks to address the main flaws in Descartes’ philosophy. These flaws included but were by no means limited to, proof for the existence of God and the interaction between mind and body. This essay will highlight the advantages of Spinoza’s monism over Descartes’ dualism by looking at Spinoza’s response to these issues. First, in order to consider the advantages of Spinoza’s substance monism over Descartes’Read MoreThe Contributions Of Descartes And Hume3394 Words   |  14 Pagescontributions of Descartes and Hume towards the issue of establishing: the existence of God Introduction: Arguments for and against the existence of god have been proposed by philosophers, theologians, scientists and others for thousands of years. In Philosophy, these arguments involve primarily the disciplines of Epistemology and Ontology and can be categorized as metaphysical, logical, empirical, or subjective. The epistemic arguments place different restrictions on our ability have knowledge, some arguingRead MoreRene Descartes: Cartesian Dualism Essay example1625 Words   |  7 Pagesdebate over the nature of the mind and body that has spanned centuries, a debate that is still vociferously argued today. In this essay, I will try and tackle Descartes claim and come to some conclusion as to whether Descartes is correct to say that the mind and body are distinct. For one to begin the quest into Descartes’ dualism, one must first look at the argument of the real distinction. In Descartian thought, the â€Å"real distinction† is the term representing the distinction between two or moreRead MorePhilosophy 101 Study Guide Essay3857 Words   |  16 Pages they will be supremely grateful. Structure of the Exam The exam will consist of: †¢ 60 multiple choice questions (for Scantron form) †¢ Worth 4 points each †¢ 240 points total †¢ questions limited to topics covered on this study guide †¢ 1 essay question (for exam book) †¢ worth 60 points total †¢ questions will be broad and comprehensive for Unit 1. †¢ Answer should be 4-5 paragraphs Study Guide Warranty IF: you fill out this study guide completely based on your notes, the readings