Descartes argument for the existence of God is based on two main principles. This is the principle of sufficient reasoning and the principle of adequate reality. The principle of sufficient reasoning means that everything has a cause. The principle of adequate reality is followed by sufficient reasoning and means that there must be at least as much reality in the cause as the effect. An example of having at least as much reality in the cause as the effect could be studying for a test and receiving
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Descartes now that he has found knowledge that he exists as a thinking thing‚ he starts looking around for more of these things called self-evident truths. He tries to unravel the facts of nature in his mind by trying to find a solution and proving the existence of God. By proving that God is the one that gives us a clear and different perception which means‚ that God is perfect in every way and the he does not deceive anyone. Because of this he is able to secure a sense of certainty for these clear
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mind from birth. Descartes strongly believes that innate ideas are the necessary things that provide a reliable basis for all metaphysical knowledge. The idea of God is clearly and distinctly perceived. Descartes does admit‚ however‚ that he cannot grasp the thought of God’s existence‚ but that he merely understands it. Due to his conclusion that God ultimately exists‚ he is now able to trust the external world with
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The logic behind Descartes’ second premise can be explained thus‚ he says a cold object such as a pot of water cannot become hot unless something else causes that heat. But‚ the cause must have a high degree as the effect. For it is impossible for one level of reality (the boiling water) to be produced by a cause that is less than the effect (a cold stove). Just as heated water is an effect that requires a cause‚ so Descartes’ idea of an infinite and perfect being is an
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author of the first argument claims that God does in fact exist and he is also infinite. The author of the second argument claims that humans are not capable of comprehending the idea of infinite‚ therefore we cannot argue that God is infinite or that he exists at all. Finally‚ Descartes claims that by The Method of Doubt‚ God is the one idea that cannot be doubted. Therefore‚ the disputed question in these three arguments is the existence of God and the idea of infinite. Descartes and the first author
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There are always two sides of the same coin‚ and the coin is the subject of existence. To go against Unger’s‚ I Do Not Exist‚ I will use Descartes view of dualism and the fact that‚ according to him‚ humans do exist. Yes‚ there are other views of existence that could go against both of these philosophical views‚ but Unger and Descartes really counterbalance each other. As mentioned before‚ Unger explains he doesn’t exist due to anything which exists having a finite amount of small parts. If these
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Descartes’s Meditations on First Philosophy carries one of the most plausible metaphysical arguments that has ever emerged in the area of philosophy. The cogito argument seems to sustain the most thorough form of skepticism and provides Descartes base from which he can progress a perfect metaphysic. The cogito argument benefits as the base assumption for his general metaphysical thesis. However‚ upon critical monitoring it becomes clear that the reasonable qualities of the cogito and other production
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Does Descartes provide a convincing argument for the claim that mind and matter are distinct substances Descartes’ Argument For Dualism In his Meditations Rene Descartes aimed to reconstruct the whole of science by trying to prove the distinction between mind and matter. He gives an argument from doubt‚ and another from conceivability. I will give a brief summary of the foundations Descartes builds his thesis on‚ and then looking at his arguments and whether they are capable of persuading us
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There are various arguments on the philosophical position‚ substance dualism. Substance dualism is the postulation that there are two kinds of substances: physical and mental. However‚ in this paper I will be presenting Descartes’ argument from separability‚ derived from the argument essential extension for substance dualism. In addition‚ I will be addressing Arnauld’s triangle objection to Descartes’ “clear and distinct” aspect of the conceivability premise with an example case for clarification
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Outline Descartes’ Ontological Argument and explain the key objections that may be used against it. Descartes took the Ontological Argument as presented by Anselm and developed it in a different form. Descartes saw the argument in terms of necessary existence. For Descartes‚ the idea of God necessarily entails his existence. He established that our thoughts are evidence of our own existence (‘I think therefore I am’)‚ and so wanted to see what else he could prove exists. He used the example of a
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