What was the role of God in the writings of Descartes and Pascal?
What is the role of God in the writings of Descartes and Pascal?
Both the idea of God and the existence of God play a major role in the writings of Descartes and Pascal. Both certainly appear to believe in him though they argue the case for his existence very differently and they also give Him a very different sort of role in their works. Whilst Descartes claims that he is certain of the existence of God, using a large part of his Discours de la méthode pour bien conduire la raison, et chercher la verité dans les sciences to prove the supreme being’s existence, Pascal’s approach to philosophy cannot allow anything to be certain. He instead asserts that he knows God and that, through the use of his famous Wager, it is better for anyone to believe. The contrasting views of the two early-modern philosophers highlight the contrast between religious certainty and faith and also the key differences between metaphysical reasoning, a key element of Cartesianism, and Pascal’s more Aristotelian approach to philosophy.
In his Discours sur la méthode, René Descartes sets out to provide his readers with a method of reasoning that has worked for him and he therefore recommends. The very basis of his method revolves around his letting go of any opinions and knowledge that he has previously garnered in order to start afresh because life has only taught him one thing - to be certain of nothing. In Part III of his Discours however, he claims that he feels morally obliged to accept the customs of his religion. “retenant constamment la religion en laquelle Dieu m’a fait la grâce d’être instruit dès mon enfance, et me gouvernant”
This of course immediately presents a paradox and this paradox is further deepened when we find out that his whole system in fact relies upon the supposed given that is the existence of God and the reason that God gives us
“car Dieu nous ayant donné à chacun quelque lumière pour discerner le vrai d’avec le faux”
In addition to this, in a
Both the idea of God and the existence of God play a major role in the writings of Descartes and Pascal. Both certainly appear to believe in him though they argue the case for his existence very differently and they also give Him a very different sort of role in their works. Whilst Descartes claims that he is certain of the existence of God, using a large part of his Discours de la méthode pour bien conduire la raison, et chercher la verité dans les sciences to prove the supreme being’s existence, Pascal’s approach to philosophy cannot allow anything to be certain. He instead asserts that he knows God and that, through the use of his famous Wager, it is better for anyone to believe. The contrasting views of the two early-modern philosophers highlight the contrast between religious certainty and faith and also the key differences between metaphysical reasoning, a key element of Cartesianism, and Pascal’s more Aristotelian approach to philosophy.
In his Discours sur la méthode, René Descartes sets out to provide his readers with a method of reasoning that has worked for him and he therefore recommends. The very basis of his method revolves around his letting go of any opinions and knowledge that he has previously garnered in order to start afresh because life has only taught him one thing - to be certain of nothing. In Part III of his Discours however, he claims that he feels morally obliged to accept the customs of his religion. “retenant constamment la religion en laquelle Dieu m’a fait la grâce d’être instruit dès mon enfance, et me gouvernant”
This of course immediately presents a paradox and this paradox is further deepened when we find out that his whole system in fact relies upon the supposed given that is the existence of God and the reason that God gives us
“car Dieu nous ayant donné à chacun quelque lumière pour discerner le vrai d’avec le faux”
In addition to this, in a