Rene Descartes Argument For The Existence Of God

Cleo Polyzou

Cogito Ergo Sum
The aim of this paper is to explain a central argument from Rene Descartes’ Meditations of Philosophy that encapsulates his views towards the existence of worldly things and to consider the strength and the significance of the idea within that argument. I think therefore I am, is the argument that will be discussed and analyzed in this paper.
In the beginning of the first meditation, the meditator appeared skeptical of his beliefs and explained that since his beliefs have deceived him in the past, he called them into doubt. During the second meditation, the meditator has invalidated all of his beliefs about nature and human existence and only accepts that everything he can see is false (“therefore I suppose that everything I see is false. I believe that none of what my deceitful memory represents ever existed”). The meditator’s ability to think and doubt something proves that he must exist. He cannot exist if he does not think. He only exists as long as he is thinking. He is only a thing that thinks. The meditator states that “whatever thinks, exists. I think therefore I exist”. Even if an evil demon has been deceiving him (“an evil genius supremely powerful and clever, who has directed his entire effort at deceiving me”) or even if his beliefs are wrong he cannot doubt that he thinks. The meditator’s argument is a valid sound and cannot be argued. The only thing the meditator knows is certainly true is that he exists because he thinks. Every person that is able to think and doubt any given question does exist. The premises of the argument (whatever thinks exists and I think) follow the conclusion (therefore I
exist). Descartes’ goal was to find absolute certain knowledge and tried to find reasons to disregard all of his beliefs. He decided that he could not rely on any evidence acquired by his senses since they sometimes misled him. The meditator concluded that he can only be certain about one belief; that he is thinking. This argument made by the meditator is applicable and relatable today. For instance, biologists today have been making great progress and have been able to find treatments for diseases that were once though to be incurable. Even though this is indeed tremendous progress, biologists needed to doubt and invalidate everything they knew in order to reach their conclusions about fundamental laws of their science. Biologists had to strip down their knowledge and perceptions and try to find where everything started from. They had to find one thing that was necessarily and undoubtedly true. Finally, they were able to formulate the cell theory. After long research and after doubting every aspect of biology, scientists were able to conclude that each cell comes from pre-existing cells. As a result, as the meditator he can only be certain about two beliefs which are that he is thinking and that he exists, biologists can only be sure about the cell theory. The meditator is going through a self-examination and self-validation process. He cannot doubt the fact that he is thinking. Similarly, biologists cannot doubt that cells only come from pre-existing cells. The reason why the meditator cannot doubt he or she is thinking is because the doubt is a form of thought itself. Biologists can only make progress if they know with certainty that this key principal is true. Otherwise, all the hypotheses that concern evolution or cure of illnesses would be invalid. As no one can deny that cells come from pre-existing cells, no one can deny that the person that thinks must exist.
This paper has attempted to elaborate upon the structure and content of Rene Descartes’ argument regarding questioning the existence of things in this world.
The meditator raised a very important point that cannot be questioned or denied. The meditator’s ability to doubt something in the first place proves his own
existence.