Like Descartes, Montesquieu associated freedom as being in accordance with reason. Unlike Descartes, Montesquieu did discuss external freedom as embodied through law more at length, and also wrote extensively on the subject of slavery. In The Spirit of Laws, Montesquieu writes that “… political liberty does not consist in an unlimited freedom. In governments, that is, in societies directed by laws, liberty can consist only in the power of doing what we ought to will, and in not being constrained to do what we ought” (11.3). If the law is rational, then following the law is that which best promotes freedom precisely because it is in accordance with rationality. However, this begs the question of what is meant by rational law and whether living…
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.…
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.…
In the “Proslogion” Anselm argues God as the greatest conceivable being that exists in reality. In this essay, I will show that Anselm’s ontological argument is sound and his conclusion logically follows from his premises. I will consider an objection towards Anselm’s definition of God and show that it is unconvincing and flawed. The objection against Anselm’s ontological argument that I will consider will be one brought up by a contemporary of Anselm, Gauinilo.…
The question of whether there is a God has been debated by many philosophers, religious experts, and even your average citizens. Many of those people have attempted to argue why God is or is not real. This paper is going to present two different arguments by the philosophers: Robin Collins and William Rowe. The first argument by Collins is an argument for the existence of God, who designed our incredibly complex universe. The explanation of Collin’s argument will be followed by Rowe’s argument against the existence of God, which is in relation to intense suffering that exists in this world. With those two arguments at hand, the question is, are the conclusions compatible?…
Why is God so important to Descartes’ philosophical project in the Meditations? Answer with reference to Descartes’ attempts to prove the existence of God in Meditation 3.…
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,…
The question about the existence of God or, more generally speaking, of a supernatural entity that steers the course of the world, is probably as old as humanity itself. Many great philosophers were concerned with this basic and yet so important question which remains to be a controversial issue to this day! In the following I will commit myself to the above-mentioned question by firstly reconstructing Anselm´s proof of God´s existence and secondly considering his position in the light of the critique put forward by Gaunilo, Aquinas and Kant.…
The issue that I shall be addressing is whether a certain objection to a theistic explanation of God’s existence can be sustained. In this paper, the objection in question is advanced mostly by naturalists, and the thrust of it is that theists cannot provide a satisfactory account of God’s existence based on causality because occasional philosophical questions arise concerning the truth of the premises. After carefully setting out naturalist’s objections, I shall suggest that naturalists have overlooked an important resource available to theists – namely, the use of faith in God supported with causality and scientific knowledge in support of His existence. Therefore,…
It is human nature to question our existence. Some believe it was God who created our existence, and others rely on science. This has been an ongoing debate since life on earth. This paper argues that it is not possible to prove either way whether if the traditional God exists or not. There are no credentials to prove God’s existence or lack of; it is merely a belief. Some may rely on the Bible as proof although there is no way to prove the stories within true.…
God has always been an abstract subject for me. Throughout the entirety of my life I have never had a clear understanding of what God is, or even if there is a God. However, even though I never had a clear understanding of God or how we could even know of him, Descartes and Paley suggest that we can know God and that he is within our understanding. Throughout the readings they describe and argue how we can now the existence of God and the attributes that are associated with him. However, David Hume would refute these claims saying, through his dialogues that we cannot know the attributes or even for that matter the existence. During this paper I will analyze Descartes and Paley’s arguments in comparison with David Hume’s arguments that…
During the whole second semester in our philosophy, we had tackled the different arguments that were made by different philosophers which concerns about the existence of God. Its aim is to deepen our understanding of certain religious concepts and beliefs as it tries to critically analyze and examine through the method of philosophical inquiry. Philosophy of religion does not simply study what we believe but more significantly, subject these beliefs to rigorous rational criticism and assessment. Anselm’s Ontological Argument is an ideal of a purely analytic and speculative reasoning. It is a “priori argument” which attempts to show that the existence of God depends on how we define “God”. It is a faith that seeks understanding and presented…
In the "Mediations of First Philosophy" Descartes tries to prove the existence of God in the third meditation. He does this by coming up with several premises that eventually add up to a solid argument. First, I will explain why Descartes ask the question, does god exist? And why does Descartes think he needs such and argument at this point in the text. Secondly, I will explain, in detail, the arguments that Descartes makes and how he comes to the conclusion that God does exist. Next, I will debate some of Descartes premises that make his argument an unsound one, including circular reasoning. Finally, I will see if his unsound argument has diminished and undermined his principal goals and the incorrigible foundation of knowledge.…
1. Because of man’s ignorance and curiosity, arguments for the existence of God have been made over the years. Basically, these arguments are divided into two large groups i.e. logical and metaphysical. Actually, these arguments seek to prove that the existence of a being or having faith with at least one attribute that only God could have is logically necessary.…
Descartes, R, Murdoch, D. & Cottingham, J.The philosophical writings of Descartes, Volume 2. Reprint. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1985.…
