9 May 2022

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A Descartes "proof" of God's existence

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Descartes went to a Catholic church and was Catholic. Back then in Descartes time churched was fighting for people moral self-image to do over retain and political power. It mentions in the book that the year 1632 that new science challenge religion authority what left priests and people afraid that they will kill them by thinking it is witch crack doing plus the work of devils. Many years human believed that God had created the idea of Garden of Eden the world. Rene Descartes found himself situation was his loyalty stand, but he didn't agree with the idea of the ecclesiastical authorities. 

He did agree with Galileo, so he concluded to write a book on philosophy that shows the idea to do with another point of view between religion and science. That he decides to be both a "religious scientist" to shows another scientist you can do both (Erlwein, 2017).  I believe Rene Descartes idea on religion and science was to help many philosophers to see you can be both and how far one theory can go when it has to do with religion or not.

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René Descartes "Proofs of God's Existence" is a sequence of quarrels or influences that he postulates and speculates in his 1641 dissertation (formal philosophical observation) the first appearing in "Meditation III. Of God existence." and debated deeply in "Meditation V: Of the essence of worldly things as well as the proof of God existence. On the other hand, Descartes is recognized for these original urgings that believe in proving God's existence. However, later theorists have often evaluated and criticized his proofs as being too constricted and depending on a very dubious premise ( Hobbes) that portrays an image proving God exists in the humanity.

Whatever the case may be, understanding them is very important to gain awareness and understanding of Descartes' far along or future work "Principles of Philosophy" in early 1644 as well as his theory of ideas. Significantly, the structure of Ruminations on First Viewpoint or way of life, whose interpreted subtitle reads "in which the existence of God, as well as the immortality of the soul, are established" is objectively forthright. It starts with a letter of devotion to "The Sacred Faculty of Theology in Paris," the place where he delivered it at first in 1641, a foreword to the student, and lastly an outline of the six meditations that might shadow or follow (Curry, 2016). The other remaining the dissertation or treaties is predestined to be read in such a way that each Meditation happens a day after the single prior.

Dedication and preface

Within the commitment, Descartes begs or pleads the University of Paris to defend and keep his treatise and postulate the technique he hopes to accredit to proclaim the claim of God's existence theoretically instead of theologically. With the intention of doing this, Descartes posits he has to make a quarrel that avoids critics' allegations that the evidence depends on circular thinking. In order prove God existence from a metaphysical level, he should be able to plea to non-believers as well. Also, the other remaining half of the technique depends on his capacity to prove or show that man is enough to discover God existence on his own, which is displayed and explained in the Bible as well as other religious scriptures too.

Fundaments of the argument

In the dedication, Descartes implores the University of Paris ("Sacred Faculty of Theology") to protect and keep his treatise and posit the method he hopes to ascribe to assert the claim of God's existence philosophically rather than theologically.

To do this, Descartes posits he must make an argument that avoids critics' accusations that the proof relies on circular reasoning. In proving the existence of God from a philosophical level, he would be able to appeal to non-believers as well. The other half of the method relies on his ability to demonstrate that man is sufficient to discover God on his own, which is indicated in the Bible and other such religious scriptures as well.

Fundaments of the argument

In preparation for the central claim, Descartes discerns thoughts could be divided into three kinds of operations of view: will passions and judgment. The first two cannot be said to be true or false, as they do not pretend to represent the way things are. Only among experiences, then, can we find those sorts of thoughts representing something as existing outside of us.

Next, Descartes examines his thoughts again to discover which components of judgment are, narrowing his ideas into three types: innate, adventitious (coming from the outside) and fictional (produced internally). Now, adventitious ideas could have been created by Descartes himself. Although they do not depend on his will, he might have a faculty producing them, like the faculty that provides dreams. That is, of those ideas that are adventitious, it might be that we present them even if we do not do so willingly, as it happens when we are dreaming. Fictional ideas, too, could have been created by Descartes himself. Of those, we are even aware of having come up with them. Innate ideas, though, beg the question of where did they originate?

For Descartes, all ideas had a formal and objective reality and consisted of three metaphysical principles. The first, nothing comes from nothing, holds that for something to exist, something else must have created it. The second contains the same concept around formal versus objective reality very much, stating that more cannot come from less. However, the third principle says that more objective truth cannot come from less formal fact, limiting the objectivity of the self from affecting the legal reality of others

Finally, he posits that there is a hierarchy of beings that can be divided into four categories: material bodies, humans, angels, and God. The only perfect being, in this authority, is God with angels being of "pure spirit" yet imperfect, humans being "a mix of material bodies and spirit, which are imperfect," and material bodies, which are merely called imperfect.

Proof of God's existence

To prepare for the main assertion, Descartes distinguishes thoughts in three different kinds of processes of thought such as will, passions as well as judgment. However, the first two methods cannot be thought or viewed to be true or false, because they don’t pretend to epitomize how things in real life are. It’s only between judgments were people can we find those kinds of opinions demonstrating something as existing outside of us.

On the other hand, Descartes examines his opinions again to learn which elements of judgment are, tapering his ideas into three types such as innate, adventitious as well as fictional (created internally). Nowadays, adventitious philosophies can be shaped by Descartes himself (Erlwein, 2017). Even though they do not rely on his will, he can have an ability to produce them, for instance, the faculty that usually generates dreams. That is to say, of those philosophies that are adventitious, it can be that people create them even if they do not do so enthusiastically, as it comes about when you are dreaming. Imaginary or fictional thoughts, too, might have been generated by Descartes. Of those, people are even aware of having to create or coming up with them. For Descartes, all philosophies had a formal as well as objective realism and contained all three theoretical principles.

To begin with, nothing comes out of nothing or nowhere; it is important to bear that in mind so as something can exist, something else should have generated it. The second grips very similar concept around formal vs. objective reality, affirming that more cannot come from less. On the other hand, the third principle explains that more objective truth cannot come from less formal reality, restraining the impartiality of the self from impacting the legal existence of others people.

In summation, he suggests that there is a hierarchy of beings that can be divided into four categories such as material bodies, human being, angels as well as God. Significantly, the only perfect existence in this hierarchy is God and angels being of "pure spirit" hitherto imperfect, people "a combination of material bodies and spirit, which are defective," and material bodies, which are called imperfect.

Proof of God's existence

With those introductory theses at hand, Descartes dives into examining the philosophical possibility of God's existence in his Third Meditation.

On the other hand, He further groups his evidence down into two umbrella groups, so-called proofs, whose  logic is moderately easy to follow.

In the first proof, Descartes contends that, by evidence, he is a defective being who has an impartial reality counting the idea that perfection exists and as a result has a distinct idea of a perfect being (God, for example). 

The second evidence then goes on to question who it is then that keeps him — having an impression of a perfect being — in existence, eradicating the possibility that he himself would be able to do. He proves this by saying that he would owe it to himself, if he were his existence maker, to have given himself all sorts of perfections. The very fact that he is not perfect means he would not bear his existence (Beall, 2017). Similarly, his parents, who are also imperfect beings, could not be the cause of his existence since they could not have created the idea of perfection within him. That leaves only a perfect being, God that would have had to exist to develop and be continually recreating him. 

References

Beall, K. (2017). René Descartes.

Erlwein, H. C. (2017). Proving God's Existence? A Reassessment of al-Rāzī’s Arguments for the Existence of the Creator.  Journal of Qur'anic Studies 19 (2), 31-63.

Curry, D. S. (2016). Cabbage à la Descartes.  Ergo, an Open Access Journal of Philosophy 3 .

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