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Descartes Ontological Argument

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In the Third Meditation, Descartes claims that one’s perception of the infinite is necessarily prior to that of the finite . I will present his argument below in explanation of what his claim actually purports. Descartes makes this epistemological claim because it has ontological implications: with this claim, an idea of God and his causal axiom, he can produce the ontological proof of God which I will also reproduce below. Additionally, the initial claim allows Descartes to also supply an argument that both rejects infinite regress and supports the notion that an infinite substance creates and sustains finite substances – this argument will also be presented below. After I have explained the claim itself and shown its implications, I will …show more content…

The claim itself is an epistemological one – that to perceive the finite one must have perceived the infinite because the finite, by Descartes’s definition, is simply a negation of the infinite . He claims its analogous to knowing rest from motion and darkness from light. One is immediately drawn to question whether or not he has a conception of the infinite, since it is an open question whether or not one can even conceive of the infinite. Furthermore, one can concede to Descartes his causal axiom and that he has a conception of God. However, one can stipulate that Descartes is mistaken about God’s infinite being and that there is actually a greater being than God, God+. Is it conceivable that God has been delegated to create all finite substances and so for some reason they all have an innate idea of Him. However, God+ created God but no one until now has stipulated God+, a conceivable idea. One needn’t negate the idea of God+ to understand God, especially because most people have never thought that such a being would exist. Therefore, one is able to conceive of a finite substance before infinite – it is a dubious claim that one must conceive an absolute to conceive a part in the same way that one does not need to conceive the universe to conceive of their village. Therefore, I find little epistemological merit in the

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According to Descartes, God gave human beings senses, however, Descartes’ philosophy suggests that the senses do not represent the true natures of physical objects. This can be seen throughout Descartes’ first three meditations, as there a recurring theme that the senses are an unreliable method to grasp the true nature of physical objects. Introducing the concept of a benevolent and non-deceiving God who would not allow humans to be deceived by their senses, Descartes claims that despite all this deceit, the senses are still reliable to a certain extent and that error is due to our imperfection rather than the fault of God. In the First Meditation, Descartes calls all his beliefs and knowledge into doubt, stating that there were many instances

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Descartes talks about God as if God is infinite because he radiates out in every direction. Descartes imagines that he himself is perfect and has the perfect qualities of God. This leads him to the discussion of disobeying God and turning into what one wants rather than what God wants. By doing what oneself wills, not what God wills, one is basically implying the he or she sees him or herself as God-like. Descartes believes he is partially God because he is on his way to infinite knowledge, but since he is gaining little by little, he is in a state of potentiality.

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Descartes then attempts to define what he is. He previously believed that he had a spirit and body, by methods for which he was fed, moved, could sense, absorb space, had a distinct area and think. Each one of those methods are thrown into uncertainty except thinking. Since he can think, he should exist. He thinks about whether he no longer exists once his reasoning comes to a halt.

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He then says that without his knowledge of God's existence, none of his knowledge could be so clear and distinct. It is easy for one to be puzzled by how poorly this resolution was articulated; how is that Descartes' proof of the reliability of clear and distinct perceptions is because of the existence of a [non-deceiving] God, yet his proof of God’s existence [as a non-deceiver] is because of the reliability of his clear and distinct perceptions? This apparent circular reasoning, formally known as the Cartesian Circle, makes his argument appear weak and void. Both parts of the Cartesian circle make sense, but not together. It would have strengthened Descartes’ argument to better phrase this part of the

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However, Descartes is indeed certain of the fact that he is a thinking being, and that he exists. As a result of this argument, Descartes makes a conclusion that the things he perceives clearly and distinctly cannot be false, and are therefore true (Blanchette). This clear and distinct perception is an important component to the argument that Descartes makes in his fifth meditation for the existence of God. This paper explains Descartes ' proof of God 's existence from Descartes ' fifth meditation, Pierre Gassendi 's objection to this proof, and then offers the paper 's author 's opinion on both the proof and objection.

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In talking to the Fool, Descartes must account for the Fool’s insistence that an infinitely perfect being is incomprehensible. Descartes characterizes everyone as having concepts of “perfections” (infinite quantities of goodness, knowledge, self-existence) all of which God must possess (Descartes 59). To use this premise, Descartes needs the Fool to admit that his mind contains the idea of infinity which is needed to understand perfection. However, the Fool should not have to admit to understanding the infinite and even if he did, there is no way to assure that the concept of the infinite is truly

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Firstly, the possibility of the idea originating from nothing is ruled out for obvious reasons, as Nolan and Nelson highlight how ‘nothing’ does not posses the ability to cause, as it does not contain any properties and the effect cannot have more reality than the cause (Nolan and Nelson, 2006:108). Furthermore, as humankind are imperfect beings, Nolan and Nelson state that as we are finite beings we cannot conjure the idea of a more perfect and infinite being ourselves (Nolan and Nelson, 1996:110). Therefore, Descartes argues that this leaves only the possibility that an infinite being could cause the idea of an infinite being to exist innately within the mind of the finite cogito, like ‘the mark of a craftsmen stamped on his work’ (Descartes, 1996:35). Moreover, Descartes further believes that it would be impossible to exist with the idea of God, if God did not exist, and that this God could not be one that

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St. Augustine had the view that God was infinite and had infinite thoughts, this was called the Platonic view. St Thomas Aquinas allowed the unlimitness of God, however he denied God made unlimited things. Later on in 1600 Galileo claimed the inclusion

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In Meditation 3, the Meditator is creating arguments about the existence of god. This is where Descartes explains different reasons/premises to why god exists. Throughout Meditation 3, Descartes goes back and forth with his arguments arguing one thing then creating a counter argument to it at while still focusing on the main thing which is does god exist. For those wondering whether god does really exist stay tuned into what Descartes says. The premises from the meditation that claim god doesn’t exist are weak and invalid, and fail to give enough evidence to support the thought that god does not exists, which would conclude that God does exist.

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The next step that Descartes uses in the second meditation is the existence of this Godly figure. He questions his own beliefs with that of the God, and argues that a mind should be capable of thinking for them to be of existence, “Is there not some God, or some other being by whatever name we call it, which puts these reflections into my mind? That is not necessary, for is it not possible that I am capable of producing them myself?” He then puts forward that for one to be deceived by this “evil demon” as he describes it, they have to exist to be deceived.

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