ipl-logo

Descartes Argument Of Free Will

794 Words4 Pages

Obey or Disobey In this paper, I will argue that Descrates theories are not cogent. I will do so by demonstrating that there are differences between what Descrates believes to be true and his two main factors, intellect & will. A major component for Descartes’ account of free will is explaining where it is that human error comes from. He said that if you accept that the faculty of judgement comes from God, and that God is a perfect non-deceiver, then it seems that you would arrive at the conclusion that it would be impossible for the faculty of judgement to ever go wrong. How could something that’s not perfect come from God? In Meditation IV, Descrates idea of God is absolute perfection; all knowing, all powerful, eternal, and morally perfect. …show more content…

His reply to the solution is that when the intellect presents the will with a perception, the agent should refrain from forming any sort judgement unless the perception is clear and distinct. If the perception isn’t clear then that opens room to make an error and judgement should be avoided because by affirming a confused hazy perception incorrectly can lead you further from the truth. Thus, he recommends that you always be cautious and fear making the wrong judgement, people cannot make an error if they do not choose. Descartes believes that God is responsible for his judgment and if he uses his judgement the way God intended it to be used it will be infallible. Consequently, when Descartes is wrong, it is not because of God, it is because he isn’t God and lacks perfection. Descartes says we are capable of mistakes because God didn’t make us perfect like himself and our ability to make mistakes might play a small role in the larger scheme of things. God could have made us perfect but he chose not to by giving us free will and letting us make wrong judgements that could lead us further from the truth. I may not believe his reasoning but he tries to be as thorough as possible but his point doesn’t make a lot sense because he thinks that God could have made him perfect and chose not

More about Descartes Argument Of Free Will

Open Document