God and Philosophy
God and Philosophy
Many philosophers will say that God plays an important role in a person 's mental being. Others will argue that he doesn 't and that we decide by our own mentality. The three thinkers that will be discussed in this paper made a large impact in the philosophical world with their theories and reasons. Descartes, Kant, and Hume are all important players in the world of philosophy, but according to other philosophers, so is God.
Rene Descartes, a noted French philosopher, scientist, and mathematician, coined the Latin phrase "Cogito ergo sum" (I think, therefore I am). He "refused to accept the scholastic and Aristotelian traditions that had dominated philosophical thought throughout the medieval period" (www.iep.utm.edu). He frequently contrasted his views with those of his predecessors. In his theology, he insists on the absolute freedom of God 's act of creation. In 1641, he wrote Mediations on First Philosophy, which he employed a method called methodological skepticism; where he doubts any idea that can be doubted. God, in Descartes ' metaphysics, is the bridge from the subjective world of thought to the objective world of scientific truth. "The mind, owing its existence to God, is innately programmed with certain ideas that correspond to reality; hence the importance, in Descartes ' system, of proving the existence of God, the perfect guarantor of our ideas, so that the mediator can move from isolated flashes of cognition to systematic knowledge of the nature of reality" (Cottingham, 31). In Meditations, he mentions the idea of a benevolent God. "Because God is benevolent, he can have some faith in the account of reality his senses provide with a working mind and sensory system and does not desire to deceive him; however, this is a continuous argument, as his very notion of a benevolent God from which he developed this argument is easily subject to the same kind of doubt as his perceptions" (www.wikipedia.com"). Descartes sought to
Many philosophers will say that God plays an important role in a person 's mental being. Others will argue that he doesn 't and that we decide by our own mentality. The three thinkers that will be discussed in this paper made a large impact in the philosophical world with their theories and reasons. Descartes, Kant, and Hume are all important players in the world of philosophy, but according to other philosophers, so is God.
Rene Descartes, a noted French philosopher, scientist, and mathematician, coined the Latin phrase "Cogito ergo sum" (I think, therefore I am). He "refused to accept the scholastic and Aristotelian traditions that had dominated philosophical thought throughout the medieval period" (www.iep.utm.edu). He frequently contrasted his views with those of his predecessors. In his theology, he insists on the absolute freedom of God 's act of creation. In 1641, he wrote Mediations on First Philosophy, which he employed a method called methodological skepticism; where he doubts any idea that can be doubted. God, in Descartes ' metaphysics, is the bridge from the subjective world of thought to the objective world of scientific truth. "The mind, owing its existence to God, is innately programmed with certain ideas that correspond to reality; hence the importance, in Descartes ' system, of proving the existence of God, the perfect guarantor of our ideas, so that the mediator can move from isolated flashes of cognition to systematic knowledge of the nature of reality" (Cottingham, 31). In Meditations, he mentions the idea of a benevolent God. "Because God is benevolent, he can have some faith in the account of reality his senses provide with a working mind and sensory system and does not desire to deceive him; however, this is a continuous argument, as his very notion of a benevolent God from which he developed this argument is easily subject to the same kind of doubt as his perceptions" (www.wikipedia.com"). Descartes sought to
Cited: Burnham, Douglas and James Fieser. "René Descartes (1596-1650)." The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 2005.< http://www.iep.utm.edu/d/descarte.htm>. Cottingham, John. Descartes. New York, Rutledge: 1999. Quinton, Anthony. Hume. New York, Rutledge: 1999. "Rene Descartes." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Descartes. Walker, Ralph. Kant. New York, Rutledge: 1999.