Preview

Descartes Argument For God's Existence Of God

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
415 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Descartes Argument For God's Existence Of God
Descartes constructs an argument for God’s existence on page 32-34 of his third meditation titled: Concerning God and He Exists. In this paper, I will summarize Descartes’s argument in my own words.

Descartes is trying to find where his thoughts of God are coming from. He knows they couldn’t come from himself because for one he doubts, he has desires and he lacks stuff. Now, he is calling into question whether they are from his parents, but there is a problem with that interpretation too because, then the question of where his parents got it from would be arise and it would be going back like a chain all the way to his ancestors or who knows. Considering the fact that he is a thinking thing, he also argue that the thought of God cannot be
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Hum112 Assignment 1:Essay
    • 289 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Hum112 Assignment 1:Essay

    In Discourse on Method by René Descartes, the author starts by expressing his methodology and thought process in the effort to determine his own existence. While the topic of this piece starts by focusing on Descartes and the truth he was searching for about his existence, it quickly turns to the topic of the truth or existence of something more perfect than himself. That more perfect example being God.…

    • 289 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Does God Exist? Considering the Philosophy of Ernest Nagel from a First Person
    • 1537 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Does God Exist? Considering the Philosophy of Ernest Nagel from a First Person

    One burning and enduring problem in philosophy to which we have given considerable examination is the question of the existence of God--the superlative being that philosophers have defined and dealt with for centuries. After reading the classic arguments of St. Anselm and St. Thomas Aquinas, the contentious assertions of Ernest Nagel, and the compelling eyewitness accounts of Julian of Norwich, I have been introduced to some of the most revered and referenced arguments for and against God's existence that have been put into text. All of them are well-thought and well-articulated arguments, but they have their holes. The question of God's true existence, therefore, is still not definitively answered and put to rest; the intensity of this debate probably never will mitigate. Many theologians and academics honestly admit that no matter what any philosopher may assert regarding this topic, whether or not a certain person believes in God's existence is a question of faith and nothing more.…

    • 1537 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Descartes' First Argument of God's Existence in Third Mediation Essay Example
    • 1232 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Descartes' First Argument of God's Existence in Third Mediation Essay Example

    Firstly, I want to give the background of the proposal that Descartes criticizes in paragraph 24. In Third Meditation, Descartes argues the existence of God for the first time. His argument is known as the cognitive causal principle and goes like this: 1) The cause of an idea must contain formally (or eminently) as much reality as the idea contains objectively. 2) My idea of God contains infinite reality objectively. 3) My idea of God is caused by something that contains infinite (unlimited) reality, eminently or formally. 4) Only God has unlimited reality. 5) Therefore, God exists. In this argument, Descartes means that the reality that exists in the world has formal reality, and the reality that exists in our mind as an idea has objectively reality. In order for an idea to contain objective reality, it has to have a cause that contains as much or more reality formally. For example, we have an idea of a chair objectively, and chair that exists in the world has to contain as much or more formal reality to cause my idea of a chair. In the case of God’s existence, Descartes’ main idea of his argument is that we can understand God exists through our idea of God, because our idea of God contains infinite objective reality that is caused by God who has infinite formal reality. Descartes’ argument is striking and controversial. By looking at this argument on the surface, it is natural to question why we should think the cause of an idea has to have as much reality as the idea being caused, and why our idea of God has infinite objective reality. Descartes…

    • 1232 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Descartes Premise 6 About God's Existence
    • 65 Words
    • 1 Page

    Descartes Premise 6 About God's Existence

    Descartes conclusion on premise 6 about God’s existence argues that the clear and distinct perceptions provide the foundation or basis for the truth of our beliefs and that is so because God, who is not a deceiver would not allow Descartes to be mistaken about that which he clearlyl and distinctly perceives. His notion of clear and distinct perceptions and their truth requires God’s existence.…

    • 65 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Fourth Meditation Of Descartes Analysis
    • 739 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Fourth Meditation Of Descartes Analysis

    The essence of the main argument in the fourth Meditation of Descartes is to establish that there is a difference between God: his creator and himself, and how this difference does not taint the infinite abilities of God. Descartes commences his argument by first establishing his idea of being a thinking being. In his previous book, The Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy he sates,…

    • 739 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Best Essays

    Descartes Proofs Of God S Existence
    • 1242 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Descartes Proofs Of God S Existence

    Descartes’ theoretical philosophical postulations of God’s existence are of logic. I can compare this to an algorithm analysis from the very start of a closed-out state of mind which allows every literate reader to be persuaded by his argument. From Descartes pieces of logical evidence, he provides the chain of creators’ logic, where he is inquisitive of the origin of himself, whether it is from himself or his parents.…

    • 1242 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Best Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Rene Descartes Argument For The Existence Of God
    • 653 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Rene Descartes Argument For The Existence Of God

    The aim of this paper is to explain a central argument from Rene Descartes’ Meditations of Philosophy that encapsulates his views towards the existence of worldly things and to consider the strength and the significance of the idea within that argument. I think therefore I am, is the argument that will be discussed and analyzed in this paper.…

    • 653 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Descartes Argument For The Existence Of God
    • 193 Words
    • 1 Page

    Descartes Argument For The Existence Of God

    Descartes also states that this argument isn’t strong enough to prove that God exists. Because he has been constantly revising his believes he says that at this point he can easily tell the difference between essence and existence. After he points that out he explains that he believes that God could be separated from the existence but not from his essence. Then he contradicts himself saying that not existing would be prove of him not being perfect thus he had to exist. After that Descartes starts lacking of confidence that God exists. He thinks that he is giving some attributions, being perfect; to a creature that he doesn’t even know if exists. He thinks that he is just matching two things that he knows to make something new, something that…

    • 193 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Descartes Argument For The Existence Of God
    • 1259 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Descartes Argument For The Existence Of God

    In some measures, the reliability of our ideas may depend on the source from where they are derived from. Descartes states that there are only three places in which these ideas can come from. The ideas must enter the mind from the outside world, they must be manufactured in the mind itself, or God must have inscribed these ideas into our heads. Descartes concludes that the only possible reasoning would be that God has placed these ideas into our head. As proven earlier, the idea of God could not enter one’s mind though the outside world, on earth, there is no real proof that shows that God in fact…

    • 1259 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    What Is Descartes Argument For God's Existence
    • 1266 Words
    • 6 Pages

    What Is Descartes Argument For God's Existence

    Throughout the Meditations, Descartes successfully establishes methodical doubt about math and all sensory information, however, his answer to the doubt cast by the Evil Demon ploy does not fully relieve the dilemma of skepticism that his intense application of doubt has brought forth. Ultimately, Descartes is unable to satisfactorily answer the Evil Demon doubt because his argument does not prove that God’s existence would not prevent the serious errors in judgment and perception caused by the Evil Demon doubt.…

    • 1266 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Descartes Evil Demon Argument
    • 1115 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Descartes Evil Demon Argument

    In Meditation 1, one of the main premises that Descartes uses in his proof for the existence of God comes from the evil demon argument. The purpose of Descartes evil demon is to established doubt upon his belief that God is the sole figure who puts thoughts into his mind. A God that he believes to be omnipotent and a supremely good being, not being capable of deceiving him or force falsehood upon him. In the evil demon argument Descartes does not deny the existence of God. But rather makes it seem as if the evil demon coexist with God. Therefore, when his mind is being deceived or given false information it is not from God but from the demon itself. If God were to deceive us and put us in a fake realm then our image of God is wrong.…

    • 1115 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Descartes Meditation 3: The Existence Of God
    • 1143 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Descartes Meditation 3: The Existence Of God

    He begins by stating that there are three type of ideas in this world: innate, fictitious and adventitious. According to Descartes, innate ideas have always been instilled in us while fictitious and adventitious ideas are just figments of our imaginations. He states the the innate idea of Gods existence is placed in us by God himself and denies the possibility of God being fictitious or adventitious. He does state however, that innate beliefs must be accompanied by experiences in order to acquire optimal knowledge. Descartes’ theories and applications offer much insight into reasoning about what is real in this world.…

    • 1143 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Descartes: Proofs of God/Deception and Error
    • 1107 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Descartes: Proofs of God/Deception and Error

    From the beginning of the third meditation, Descartes seeks to establish the existence of God using his initial concept of self awareness. Descartes argued that because he thought, then he lived. Thinking ability at this time was linked to being alive and thought that there must be a god who puts the thoughts in his mind. In his quest for indubitable truth, Descartes came up with the theory of ideas, which classified those things that he considered distinct and clear to be true. Descartes argued that the idea of god should be coming from within him since he cannot experience god himself directly or find any perfection in himself.…

    • 1107 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Rene Descartes Meditations On First Philosophy
    • 1061 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Rene Descartes Meditations On First Philosophy

    only thing Descartes knows for sure is that he is a “thinking thing” and he can doubt. Descartes…

    • 1061 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    What Is Descartes's Existence
    • 736 Words
    • 3 Pages

    What Is Descartes's Existence

    He imagined that some evil genius leads him astray and that there is nothing that he can be considered valid: neither his own existence nor the existence of the external world or the existence of God. Descartes believed that, since feelings deceive us, we must assume that there is no a single thing, that would be the way it seems to us. He asked whether there is a difference between dreams and our perception of reality in the waking state. He skillfully argued that his state of doubt is the only thing he can not doubt, not falling into contradiction. Since the doubt is a form of thinking, he exists as a thinking being.…

    • 736 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More