ipl-logo

What Is Descartes Priori Proof Of God's Existence

1506 Words7 Pages

To what extend does Descartes’ “discovery” of consciousness allow for his a priori proof of God in Meditation V? How does the Cartesian concept of “clear and distinct ideas” lead to Descartes’ ontological proof of God’s existence and essence? Is Descartes’ clear and distinct doctrine logical, or does he employ circular reasoning? Before shifting his attention to God and his existence, Descartes in Discourse IV, l1) logically infers consciousness and later, in Meditation Two, 2) discovers it existentially. Descartes achieves this feat 1) by coming to the realization that the mere act of pondering his existence proves he is (“I think, therefore I am”) and 2) by building upon said realization to conclude, that if he is thinking or even being …show more content…

I do not think Descartes would disagree with Anselm’s assertion, but he builds upon and strengthens the ontological proof with 1) asserting God’s perfection and 2) by applying his doctrine of clear and distinct ideas. Much like the idea of a triangle, the concept of God exists within Descartes “no less…than the idea of any figure or number”. (Med.V.65). Descartes possess an idea, a concept of a supremely perfect being, much like his idea of a triangle, with immutable mathematical characteristics. And, a supremely perfect being must necessarily exist in order to be perfect, much like how a triangle must have certain qualities to be a triangle. Therefore, a supremely perfect being must exist. Descartes’ ontological proof is remarkably simple yet wholly revolutionary. Descartes profoundly couples the ontological with the phenomenological, taking an innate concept and clearly and distinctly perceiving said concept’s essential and immutable components to assert its existence. Subtly, however, Descartes’ ontological proof and his clear and distinct perception of God’s immutable elements allow for him to then assert God’s essence. Descartes asserts the inextricability of God’s existence and essence, thereby infusing “that it is” with the “what it is”

Show More
Related
1656 Words | 7 Pages

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

Read More
453 Words | 2 Pages

In other words, Anselm argued that if one can conceive a being that possesses all perfections, it is greater for that being to exist in reality rather than just in the mind. Therefore, with God being defined as the greatest conceivable being, He must exist in reality to solidify the definition. Anselm's argument relied on the concept of God being a necessary being, which is a being whose nonexistence is logically impossible. According to Anselm, if God’s nonexistence is a possibility, then He would not be the greatest conceivable being.

Read More
1654 Words | 7 Pages

Notre Dame ID: 902008117 In René Descartes ' Mediations on First Philosophy, Descartes abandons all previous notions or things that he holds to be true and attempts to reason through his beliefs to find the things that he can truly know without a doubt. In his first two meditations Descartes comes to the conclusion that all that he can truly know is that he exists, and that he is a thinking being. In his third meditation, Descartes concludes that he came to know his existence, and the fact that he is a thinking being, from his clear and distinct perception of these two facts. Descartes then argues that if his clear and distinct perception would turn out to be false, then his clear and distinct perception that he was a thinking being would not have been enough to make him certain of it (Blanchette).

Read More
127 Words | 1 Pages

Descartes gave a few arguments that God exists and is real. Desocrates believed our idea of God is that God is a perfect being, he believed he is more perfect to exist than not to exist. Desocrates also believed that God is a infinite being. Descartes idea would be that God gave us this idea to type this paragraph about him so he must be real. When he thinks negative of an idea or thought he wonders if an evil demon plotted those thoughts.

Read More
839 Words | 4 Pages

Anselm and Descartes both take for granted that their audience, Fool or otherwise, will accept the ideas foundational to the progression of their argument. Anselm needs his audience to accept the idea of “that than which nothing greater can be thought” and understand it (or at least claim to understand it). Descartes needs the reader to conceptualize an infinitely perfect being. In both Anselm and Descartes’ cases, the acceptance of the concept of the infinite is required for the persuasive strength of the argument as a whole. As the dialogue above suggests, there may be compelling reasons to reject the foundational assumptions used to prove God’s existence in these two cases.

Read More
726 Words | 3 Pages

We know clear and distinct perceptions independently by God, and his existence provides us with a certainty we might not possess otherwise. However, another possible strategy would be to change Gods role in Descartes philosophy. Instead of seeing God as the validation of clear and distinct perceptions, rather see him as a safeguard against doubt. This strategy, however, is a problem since it re-constructs the Meditations – Philosophical work of Descartes –.This is because it would not be God, who is the ultimate foundation of knowledge, but the clear and distinct

Read More
753 Words | 4 Pages

The argument for God’s existence is that God is a perfect being, he is infinite, independent, supremely intelligent, and supremely powerful. Descartes goes on to talk about how God exists because he can conceive of him as better than himself (AD 40). God is perfect and perfect at everything, and was the first thing that sent everything into motion (AD 45). God is the ultimate cause.

Read More
862 Words | 4 Pages

In this paper, I will deliver a reconstruction of Descartes’ Cogito Argument and my reasoning to validate it as indubitable. I will do so by justifying my interpretations through valid arguments and claim, by showcasing examples with reasoning. Rene Descartes is a French Philosopher of the 17th century, who formulated the philosophical Cogito argument by the name of ‘cogito ergo sum,’ also known as “I think, therefore, I am.” Rene was a skeptic philosopher amongst many scholastic philosophers of his time. To interpret his cogito argument as indubitable and whether it could serve as a foundational belief, he took a skeptical approach towards the relations between thoughts and existence.

Read More
10608 Words | 43 Pages

PONTIFICIA UNIVERSITA GREGORIANA FACOLTA DI FILOSOFIA Tesi di Dottorato The Concept of a Triune God in the Philosophy of Richard Swinburne Studente: Lindo John Matricola: 161891 Moderatore: Prof. L’uboš Rojka Anno Accademico 2013-2014 GENERAL INTRODUCTION CHAPTER I: FROM ONTOLOGY TO THE CONCEPT AND THE EXISTENCE OF GOD 1.1. Ontological Concepts: 1.1.1.

Read More
884 Words | 4 Pages

In this paper, I will deliver a reconstruction of Descartes’ Cogito Argument and my reasoning to validate it as indubitable. I will do so by justifying my interpretations through valid arguments and claim, by showcasing examples with reasoning. Rene Descartes is a French Philosopher of the 17th century, who formulated the philosophical Cogito argument by the name of ‘cogito ergo sum,’ also known as “I think, therefore, I am.” Rene was a skeptic philosopher amongst many scholastic philosophers at his time. He took a skeptical approach towards the relations between thoughts and existence, to interpret his cogito argument as indubitable and whether it could serve as a foundational belief.

Read More
515 Words | 3 Pages

Being aware of the primitive nature of humans, Descartes did not believe that humans could create a supreme-being on their own, there had to be a cause. I think it is here that Descartes realized that even a humans own thoughts had to have some form of a beginning; and that even primitive humans had to have thoughts enlisted in their minds. It all had to start somewhere, and it wasn’t with mere mortals, it had to be from something superior. He believed that superiority was God. Descartes’ understood that “nothing comes from nothing” and something had to interest a primitive human to even entertain a thought of a God who was not only superior to them, but perfect as well.

Read More
607 Words | 3 Pages

4000 years ago we saw the very first civilizations develop a system of writing, complex mathematics and invent the wheel. Today we have already sent exploration rovers to mars, and are looking to send people there within the next 10 years. With the first homo sapiens appearing 200000 years ago, it is quite amazing that most advancement in technology and science has happened in the past few thousand years. However the progression in science has not always increased at a steady rate. For example during classical antiquity, especially in Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire, scientists studied natural philosophy, the study of nature; which helped to progress our understanding of the world greatly.

Read More
1275 Words | 6 Pages

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.

Read More
1178 Words | 5 Pages

As the last proof is not as secure as the first two. The “infinite perfection of god” stands out the most promising as it capitalizes on the perfection of a single being. It is irrefutable that the perfect being is infinitely perfect since perfection is ideal. As well as the ability of the universe to only produce one perfect simple God. If there were to be many perfect Gods, they would be one in the same and the same being.

Read More
1027 Words | 5 Pages

Anselm says that God is the being which nothing greater can be conceived. This is the base of the argument. He says let’s assume God exists as an idea in the mind, there is a possibility that God exists only in our understanding. On the other hand, one can imagine that God is exists in our understanding as well as in reality. St. Anselm’s theory also says that a being which has all the properties of God and exists also in reality then this would be greater than the being which exists only in our understanding.

Read More

More about What Is Descartes Priori Proof Of God's Existence

Related Topics

Open Document