Preview

The Importance of God in Descartes' Philosophy

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1288 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Importance of God in Descartes' Philosophy
God, in all of his/her perfection, is very important in Descartes ' philosophy. Reality and deception are big parts of Descartes philosophy, and to verify what reality is, God needs to be considered. God needs to be taken out of a religious context and be proven to exist in a way that we cannot be deceived into only thinking he 's real. Religion had to be discarded completely during this proof so that Descartes can undoubtedly state that God does exist and that religious teaching had no influence in the proof. Descartes uses this proof to establish the legitimacy and validity of his future principles. Once Descartes establishes the existence of God, he leads on to 'rank ' us within the hierarchy of living and non-living creatures. Descartes 'ranked ' us between God, being the greatest, and nothing, being the least.

When Descartes philosophy deals with reality and what is deception, God enters the picture. God, being an all powerful being is considered when the idea of something perfect is thought of. Since every idea must have some relevance to reality, the thought of perfection must have come from somewhere (Ex nihilo nihil fit; nothing comes from nothing). The idea of perfection must have been placed in our minds by a perfect being. Therefore God exists. The proof of God 's existence is explained in different terms because the translation cannot always be correct. The main components of the proof are always present.

In Descartes meditation III, Descartes uses the idea of perfection to prove that God exists. This is one interpretation of Descartes proof of the existence of God.

1) I think, therefore I am.

2) I cannot be mistaken about the ideas that I have.

3) There can never be more objective reality in the effect (i.e., the idea) than there is formal reality in the cause (i.e., object of the idea).

4) I have an idea of perfection or infinite substance.

5) My idea of perfection is the most objectively real idea that I have.

6) The only possible formal


Bibliography: http://www.mala.bc.ca/~johnstoi/descartes/descarteslecture.htm http://www.iep.utm.edu/d/descarte.htm http://www.wright.edu/cola/descartes/lod.html (Descartes ' Meditations) http://csunx4.bsc.edu/bmyers/3MEDPRF.htm http://www.ucs.mun.ca/~alatus/phil1200/MeditationThree.html
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
  • Good Essays

    Cartesian Dualism Flaws
    • 1061 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Cartesian Dualism Flaws

    Descartes thinks that since we all have an innate idea of a perfect being, then that perfect being, which he calls God, has to exist, or else it would not be perfect anymore. There are two problems with this line of thought. First, do we really have an innate idea of a perfect being? Wouldn’t we need to acquire the concept of “perfect” and “being” first? It is true that we could not have directly seen or experienced a perfect being in real life, but that does not mean the idea of a perfect being has to be innate. Rather, we can form this idea merely by experiencing non-perfect beings and imagining the opposite, just like how we develop the idea of immaterial things after we have seen or experienced material things. Therefore, the idea of a perfect being is not innate, and in fact, it is possible for us never to have that idea at all. On the other hand, why must a perfect being exist? Why should existence be better, “more perfect,” than non-existence? Descartes does not give us enough evidence of the “perfectness” of existence, and thus existence cannot be guaranteed as an essential part of the perfect being’s property. Now I have shown that Descartes’ main argument for God’s existence is flawed, although I still do not rule out the possibility of God’s…

    • 1061 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

    Analysis Of St. Anselm, Gaunile's Argument
    • 1029 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Analysis Of St. Anselm, Gaunile's Argument

    He then makes a claim that states effects aren’t ever realer than their causes, which means something ‘perfect’ must exist to be able to have the idea of ‘perfection’. Descartes goes on to say that he knows he isn’t ‘perfect’ and since he isn’t ‘perfect’, who could have put this idea in his head? His answer is something ‘perfect’, and that something ‘perfect’ must be…

    • 1029 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good 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
  • Good Essays

    Descartes's Argument For The Existence Of God
    • 894 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Descartes's Argument For The Existence Of God

    According to this principle, the reality of the cause must be greater than or equal to the reality of the effect. The idea of God has infinite reality and, by theory, the only cause of this infinite idea can only be God. With all this said, the reality of God is the only plausible cause to the reality of the idea of God. Descartes gives another proof in Meditation Five where he has reasoned that a triangle must have all the properties he assigns to it, because the triangle exists as an idea in his mind and he clearly and distinctly perceives all these properties. He then reasons, by analogy, that God exists as an idea in his mind and he clearly and distinctly perceives all of his qualities. One of these qualities is existence, so it follows from his clear and distinct perception that God must exist. If existence is the essence of God, then God would not be God if he did not exist, just as a triangle would not be a triangle if it were not three-sided. At the very least, then, the existence of God must be as certain as the properties of mathematical and geometrical objects since he can prove them in the same way. Having concluded that God must necessarily exist, Descartes goes further and then asks how he received the idea of God. He could have not invented the idea. Therefore, the idea must be innate which, according to Descartes, means that God must have created him…

    • 894 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Hum 112
    • 293 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Hum 112

    Rene Descartes in his Discourse of the Method begins with the problem of showing and proving his own existence, but later in the reading changes the problem and it is concentrating on proving the existence of God. The first time that I thought to myself that this reading is probably about something else than proving his own existence was where the author started talking about perfection. The author defined God as “something that truly was more perfect than I was, something indeed having perfections of which I could have any idea” (Descartes, 2010, p.16).…

    • 293 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Descartes Argument For God's Existence Of God
    • 415 Words
    • 2 Pages

    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.…

    • 415 Words
    • 2 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 Meditation 1 Analysis
    • 482 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Descartes Meditation 1 Analysis

    God is the next doubt that Descartes brings to attention. He says that he is constantly deceived and God must have created him to be subject to this occasional deception. This doubt is quickly dispersed however when Descartes reasons that God is good and therefore would not deceive him because that would be contrary to his goodness.…

    • 482 Words
    • 2 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

    He starts to build the foundation of knowledge with the statement “ I think, therefore I am,” and because that thought is true while occurring, it is a clear and distinct perception. So, Descarte does not need to rely on God to prove the existence of clear and distinct perceptions. However, while it is true that we can clearly and distinctly perceive that the statement “ I think, therefore I am” is true, we only know this is true because it directly relates to our own being. God is a more abstract subject and we have no proof to suggest that our ability to reason about such topics is reliable. God is an infinite being with a higher reality than ours so it is plausible that if he was to exist we would not be able to fully comprehended his existence or his will, so we can not claim with certainty that God is not a deceiver because that would be claiming to have a solid understanding of how something with a higher reality than ours when we can not even fathom its existence on our…

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

    Descartes Arguments For The Existence Of God
    • 944 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Descartes Arguments For The Existence Of God

    He starts with the idea of a God who is eternal, infinite, and perfect. In the beginning of Meditations on First Philosophy, He explains that “we must believe that there is a God, because we are so taught in the Holy Scriptures, and, on the other hand, that we must believe the Holy Scriptures because they come from God “(Descartes 1). He then doubts himself if god does really exist. Through examining his thoughts, he ends up believing that the idea of God exists because of his innate idea of God which has to be God who “is the cause of this idea”(Descartes 25). Descartes then explains more in depth saying, “I have no choice but to conclude that the mere fact of my existing is and of there being in me an idea of a most perfect being, that is God, demonstrates most evidently that God too exists” (34). Another reason is how in his further mediations, he explains how if God does not exist, then he is not a supremely perfect being. Saying that God does not exist, we can imagine a being that is more perfect than God. But this is a contradiction because since the idea of God is the idea of the most perfect being of all. Therefore, God must exist because you cannot image a more perfect being than god, who he is the almighty and perfect of…

    • 944 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Descartes Argument For The Existence Of God
    • 1162 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Descartes Argument For The Existence Of God

    He simply states that the idea in his mind must be true because of his rule on adequate reality. It seems like Descartes proved that God exists through the understanding of himself existing. It doesn’t make sense to only compare your own existence to the existence of God. He doesn’t have too many other arguments on how or why God might exist. I think I might have agreed with his argument if he added more detail and clarity to his reasoning’s.…

    • 1162 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Descartes Beliefs
    • 692 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Descartes Beliefs

    The most important part of Descartes’ knowledge was that he understood that God should not be to blame for the mistakes that we make in our lives. According to Descartes’, God has a plan for us, but he gave us freewill so that we have the ability to do whatever it is that we want to do. However, this can be a disadvantage to us at times because, unlike God, we don’t understand everything and make mistakes. Descartes knows that God would not deceive him, because Descartes defines that will to deceive as a sign of weakness, and God’s perfection would not allow him to be weak or act maliciously towards another. He also believes that if God created him, then God is responsible for him, which means that Descartes’ judgment would be perfect if only he used it correctly.…

    • 692 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

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

    Descartes: Proofs of God/Deception and Error

    Firstly, Descartes in the third meditation sets out to prove that God does indeed exist. To begin with, he considered that the source of an idea must be as real as the idea itself. He thought that since his idea of God had overwhelmingly unlimited content, then the one who caused the idea must be infinite and that it must be god, and thus asserted that what is more perfect cannot arise from what is imperfect. In his conclusion, Descartes says that God is a substance that is omnipotent, omniscient, independent and infinite. He argued that if the objective reality of an idea could not come from him, then it could have come from something else. The basis for the arguments he put forward lies in the…

    • 1107 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More

Related Topics