Chad McCarl
Dr. Elaine Cassel
April 20, 2013
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. This surprise is first revealed after three paragraphs of Descartes debating the truth of his own existence between the conscious awake times and the unconscious dream times and the relationship to things in nature. According to Descartes (1636), “In thinking it is necessary to exist” and “that all things which we very clearly and distinctly conceive are true.” It is at that point that his focus turns to describing the proof of existence of God as the creator of all imperfect things. I believe that Descartes set the stage effectively for a surprise ending with his approach to the opening of this piece. He began, not by insinuating that God did exist, but by using the thought of God’s existence as a point of comparison between things that he determines exist imperfectly. He points out that an imperfect mind could think of object like the sky, sun & stars but that the “imperfect mind” is not capable of creating such things (Descartes, 1636). He concludes that a perfect being, such as God, must be responsible for the existence of all imperfect things because one cannot exist without the other.
References
Descartes, R. (1636). Discourse on Method. Part 4. Retrieved from Bartleby.com, 2001. www.bartleby.com/34/1/.
References: Descartes, R. (1636). Discourse on Method. Part 4. Retrieved from Bartleby.com, 2001. www.bartleby.com/34/1/.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
2. In a narrative format, discuss the company from a strategic perspective. Information concerning recent changes in the firm is readily available online and should be accessed. Strategic issues should be discussed in “real time.”…
- 2276 Words
- 10 Pages
Good Essays -
He realized that human were imperfect but that we also had a form of perfection in us from God, thus, giving us the ability to attain certain thoughts and ideas. Another wow factor for me that Descarte mentioned was when he said that if there were any other intelligences or natures that weren’t perfect, they would have to be totally dependent on God power to stay alive or even be part of existence. The reason this surprised me was because this is something that many people never think about or they do not want to have in consideration. People are always doubting where they come from and why we are here, but never really put these two things together. If it were not for God, we would never even be here! But this thought is for people that believe that God is the creator. I believe that the surprise ending was when Descartes realized that God is perfect and he was made to see this by God. Descartes state that “God is perfect and his ideas were…
- 498 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Descartes later reformulated the ontological argument, who sought to prove the existence of God through reason alone. He stated that he exists, and in his mind he has the concept of a perfect being, and as an imperfect being, he could not have conjured up the idea of a perfect being, therefore this idea must have originated from the perfect being itself, and this perfect being must exist in order to be perfect, consequently a perfect being exists. He also stated that the idea of God is the idea of a perfect being, and a supremely perfect being has all perfections, existence is perfection, a supremely perfect being must have existence, therefore it is impossible to think of God as not existing, hence God exists.…
- 455 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Now that I have had a chance to review my original essay, I’ve determined that my arguments for Descartes’ logic being circular were unclear because I believed something different from what I believe now. Though this revision will still address the same concepts from the Meditations as my previous essay, I will argue instead that Descartes’ argument for the existence of God is not guilty of circular logic but merely has the illusion of such. Descartes’ belief system for the existence of God consists of claims that seem to presuppose one another in defending their conclusions of each other, but instead, each follow from the Cogito as first principles.…
- 1539 Words
- 7 Pages
Better Essays -
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 -
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 -
Having a belief that all questions have a scientific or mathematical answer; Rene Descartes in his search for solutions used principles that were already known and sets out to establish specific knowledge or truths. One of his most startling revelations is outlined in his writing “Discourse on the Method IV.…
- 309 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
The fact that Descartes is even considering the mere question of his own existence just proves that he indeed exists and that is certain. Further, he argues that we are essentially thinking things (res cogitans) that can know our minds clearly and distinctly. Descartes pitches a tent for himself firmly in the rationalist camp, as opposed to the empiricist camp. He constantly emphasizes that the clear and distinct perceptions of the intellect are the only sure means of securing knowledge, and ultimately concludes that the senses are not designed to give us knowledge at all, but are rather meant to help us move through the world in a very practical…
- 894 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Descartes casts everything into doubt in the first meditation, including God Himself. He then comes to this disproval of this theory therefore concluding that God exists. This is brought about through the causal argument.…
- 723 Words
- 3 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
The “surprise ending” of this reading is in my opinion a very strong thought that everyone thinks about each day. Today, we are familiar with so many different religions, but I feel like no matter what religion it is that image of God is always described as perfection. Personally, I do agree with Descartes saying that “there had to be some other more perfect being on which I depended and from which I had acquired everything that I had” (Descartes, 2010, p. 16). Each person goes through life each day and makes the right and wrong decisions, but how we feel inside about life has a lot to do with our faith and believes.…
- 293 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
After this doubt Descartes reasons that rather than a Deity, it is an evil demon that deceives him. Here he starts to doubt things such as the sky, air, Earth, colors, figures, and sounds. He attributes these to being mere illusions of dreams. By the end of Meditation one, Descartes has doubted his senses, his prospect of reality, God, and an evil demon. All of these things lead him back to where he started at the beginning of his writing. He even states himself that he has “fallen back into the train of my former beliefs.” With this, Descartes has chosen to retreat back under his personal blanket of ignorant…
- 482 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Descartes’ Argument for the Existence of God Descartes’ Meditations serve as a faithful yet skeptical support for the existence of God. He uses a method of doubt, calling all of knowledge into question, to pursue a deep level of God and human’s existence. He creates controversial circular reasoning when he creates rules to define the existence of God through the use of the Truth Principle, the causal principle, and the belief that God is no deceiver, which all support one another. To argue the existence of God succeeding the method of doubt, an understanding of fundamental truth must be retained; The Cogito, or the argument for existence.…
- 1174 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
By R. Anastasia Tremaine - November, 2001 VISIT www.paperwriters.com/aftersale.htm -- for more information on using this paper properly! Does God Exist? : This 5 page paper explores the question, using Descartes argument as a springboard for discussion. Lack of scientific evidence of God 's existence is discussed.…
- 1198 Words
- 5 Pages
Powerful Essays -
In his eyes, he believes that God is so important to acquiring knowledge. In the result of proving that God’s existence if we succeed in attaining the basic fundamental knowledge it will allow the existence of God to allow people to access this knowledge. Descartes' said by becoming aware of God we would be able to get certain truths. By doing this he was unable to achieve the perfect knowledge about anything else.…
- 1837 Words
- 8 Pages
Powerful Essays -
In Rene Descartes Meditations on First Philosophy, Descartes is seeking to find a system of stable, lasting and certain knowledge, which he can ultimately regard as the Truth. In his methodical quest to carry out his task, Descartes eventually arrives at the proverbial fork in the road: how to bridge the knowledge of self with that of the rest of the world. Descartes’ answer to this is to prove the existence of God. The purpose of this essay will be to state and explain Descartes' Third Meditation: Proof of God's Existence by identifying relevant concepts and terminology and their relationship to each other and examining each premise as well as the conclusion of the proof and finally to comment on the significance of the proof in the context of the Evil Genius assumption. In order to begin explaining the meaning and significance of Descartes' Third Meditation Proof of God's Existence, I feel that it is very important to define the terms and concepts that he uses in the meditation and the terms and concepts that I will be using throughout the paper.…
- 1370 Words
- 6 Pages
Better Essays