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DESCARTES' MEDITATIONS.
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His attempts to resolve key philosophical questions.... More...
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Paper Abstract:
His attempts to resolve key philosophical questions. "Do I exist?" and "Does God exist?" His justification of the existence of God. Descartes' line of linear thinking. His cause and effect argument. His use of thought to justify his own existence and the existence of God.
Paper Introduction:
René Descartes, in his “Meditations on First Philosophy” endeavors to resolve the most enduring philosophical questions ever to challenge man, namely: Do I exist? And: Does God exist? His second and third meditations, translated by Donald A. Cress, deal specifically with these queries. Ultimately, Descartes determines that he cannot doubt the existence of either himself or of God.
“Meditation Two” aims to assuage any doubt that the author does indeed exist. Descartes begins this process by forgoing the existence of all things that his “deceitful memory represents ever existed” (Cress, 1998, p. 63). In this, he abandons the senses and the body, reducing his sphere of knowledge to contain only the fact that nothing is certain. Essentially, Descartes must persuade himself that there is
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Theseobservations further insist upon the existence of God. 8 ). He would have no potential, for he would "have given myself all theperfections of which I have some idea" (Cress, 1998, p. Hackett Publishing Company: Indianapolis, 63-81. The act ofseeing, or hearing, or touching are each acts of sensing which are, attheir core, acts of thinking. Theanswer to this seemingly simple question is a resounding "no". From this, can he then possibly deduce that he does not exist? Therefore, his contentions may be false. Ultimately, Descartes determines that he cannot doubt theexistence of either himself or of God. Descartes also dismisses the possibility that he received his state ofbeing from himself. And: Does God exist? A key componentof his argument are "those ideas that I believe to be derived from thingsexisting outside of me" (Cress, 1998, p. For, whether we actually see something ormerely think that we see something does not matter, for it is impossible tothink and yet simultaneously not exist. He exists, and is capable of perceiving both hisown shortcomings as well as the idea of a most perfect being- therefore amost perfect being must also exist. 76). Cress, deal specifically with thesequeries. Essentially, there must be a cause for each effect that is perceivedby a thinking, sensing being. 63). 73). Having shown that he does indeed exist, Descartes turns his attentionto God, arguing now for His existence in Meditation Three. It is Descartes' abilityto perceive his own limitations ("that I lack something and am not whollyperfect") that seems to justify the very existence of God (Cress, 1998, p.76). This being is God, and being withoutdefect, God will not deceive we who are flawed, for deception is dependenton some flaw (Cress, 1998, p. Work CitedDescartes, Rene: Translated by Cress, Donald A. And anything which imagines and senses (eithercorrectly or mistakenly) is a thinking thing and must therefore exist. Basically, an effect (for example:heat) must get its reality from a cause (for example: a flame). Forthis, Descartes' idea of God is, he claims, his most "clear and distinct"idea (Cress, 1998, p. Asupreme deceiver, Descartes insists, should one exist, can "never bring itabout that I am nothing, so long as I shall think that I am something"(Cress, 1998, p. Thought exists in him, and by virtue of this he mustalso exist- even if all of his thoughts are wrong. He proposes that if he had received his state of being fromhimself, then he would possess all of the infinite wisdom and perfectionthat he is capable of imagining. And, most intriguing is Descartes'observation that this conception of a most perfect being did not come fromhis imagination or his senses; it is innate in him, just as his own idea ofhimself is innate in him (Cress, 1998, p. In this, the existence of God will allow man toaccomplish wonderful things. 72). From this line of thought Descartescontends that it follows that within the idea of God man may perceivehimself, and vice versa. and that created [him]along with everything else that exists", he must acknowledge that such aninfinite and supremely powerful thing could not have come from himself,himself being a finite thing of limited power (Cress, 1998, p. 76). With this,Descartes reasoning is complete; he has illustrated the existence ofhimself and the existence of God, and in so doing has provided theindividual with something critical in the process: a blueprint forhappiness. And, if an individual is not the cause, thenthere must be some other entity at play. However, that he hiscapable of conceiving of himself as something (which he certainly is), andthat he is capable of being deceived (which he cannot deny), both supportthe basic claim that even if he has been deceived about everything, so longas he thinks that he is something, then it cannot be that he is nothing. Thus, the act of imagining constitutes apart of thought, which further eliminates any doubt that any entity whichimagines does indeed also think, and therefore, does indeed exist. 64). He would be free of doubt, desire, orneed. Such aflow is not in accordance with the rule explained above, which insists thatwhat is more perfect cannot come into being from what is less perfect. The existence of the senses further supports this claim. His second and thirdmeditations, translated by Donald A. This will lead the individual to perceive thebeing that possesses, "infinitely and actually", all those greater thingsto which he as an individual aspires. In this, "it follows thatsomething cannot come into being out of nothing" and "what is moreperfect... Regardless what kind of entity,certain properties must be adhered to. 72). 64). That he has potential- the ability to improve uponhimself- seems to discount this possibility, as does his ability to doubt,or desire. The act of thinking can therefore justify ones existence; if onethinks that he exists, then it cannot be that he does not. (1998) "Discoures on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy: Fourth Edition". 65). In this, Descartesconcludes that at his most basic, he is "nothing but a thinking thing"(Cress, 1998, p. Nor, of course, do they depend upon his will. "Meditation Two" aims to assuage any doubt that the author doesindeed exist. cannot come into being from what is less perfect" (Cress, 1998,p. Descartes begins this process by forgoing the existence ofall things that his "deceitful memory represents ever existed" (Cress,1998, p. And, as withDescartes' justification that he exists, so too he uses thought to justifythe existence of God as well. Indeed, it seems that Descartes relationship to himself is in someways indistinct from his relationship with God. In this, he abandons the senses and the body, reducing hissphere of knowledge to contain only the fact that nothing is certain.Essentially, Descartes must persuade himself that there is nothing in theworld: "no sky, no earth, no minds, no bodies" (Cress, 1998, p. 77). 78). From this,Descartes logically deduces that a cause cannot give a reality to an effectif it does not also possess that reality itself. By this Descartesacknowledges that as a thing that imagines and senses, he is capable ofbeing misled and confused. It is clear then that God preceded man, and that therefore it ishighly likely that man was, as a less perfect effect of a most perfectcause, created in the image of God. René Descartes, in his "Meditations on First Philosophy" endeavors toresolve the most enduring philosophical questions ever to challenge man,namely: Do I exist? He is a thinking being, capable of imagining and sensing-therefore he must exist. Basically, by turning the mind's eye towardhimself, an individual will perceive that he is incomplete and dependentupon another, greater being. Descartes admits that it is possible thathis meditation may be the product of a grand deception, that it is possiblethat a supremely powerful being is perpetually and deliberately deceivinghim. For it is impossible, by Descartes' estimation, to even understandthat he is limited if he did not also have some idea in him of a moreperfect being ("by comparison with which I might recognize my defects")(Cress, 1998, p. Whether or nothe opts to feel heat, for example, he will feel it if a fire is present(Cress, 1998, p. 8 ). 81). He mustexist, for the very act of persuading oneself of some notion (even if thatnotion is that nothing exists), indicates that there does (and must) exista self that can be persuaded. Faulty imaginings or misled sensesare equally supportive of the existence of an "I" which is capable ofimagining and sensing. If there was no God, no perfect being, thenDescartes would not be able to perceive himself as less than perfect. At its most basic, Descartes' reasoning across these two Meditationsis quite linear. Of these, Descartes meansthat many things- noises from the world, sights such as the sun, orfeelings as from a fire- do not in fact originate from him; they are not"his ideas". He thinks,therefore he is, and he is, therefore he exists. Because Descartes can understand "by thename 'God' a certain substance that is infinite... Ultimately, the "immense light" that is God is the source of happinessfor man, and it is the contemplation of "the divine majesty" that willallow the individual to accomplish the "greatest pleasure" of which thehuman race is capable of in this life (Cress, 1998, p. It is, however the act of imagining thatjustifies his being; Descartes contends that even if "absolutely nothingthat I imagined is true, still the very power of imagining really doesexist..." (Cress, 1998, p. 66). His ability to conceive of God is veryrelevant to the existence of God. This notion applies to ideas as well as objects.
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