Descartes’ proof of the existence of God oc

curs in the Third Meditation. He builds his entire argument upon his proof in the previous meditation that in order for him to think, he must exist. From this single observation, Descartes notices that the idea of his existence is very clear and distinct in his mind; based upon this clarity and the fact that he has just determined his own existence, he deduces a rule such that the things that he sees as very clear and very distinct are all true.

He then explains that he knows that he is imperfect due to the fact that he has doubts. Clearly, knowing is more perfect than doubting. From this notion, he realizes that within him lies this idea of a perfect being and that he is incapable of producing this idea alone. Descartes determines that such an idea must have a formal reality, a cause. This cause could not have originated from a less perfect reality or being, since he has already established that ideas can be less perfect than their cause, but never more perfect. Descartes also determines several qualities that God possesses merely by observing himself. Descartes thought that whatever ideas he himself had, if they contained perfections, then God would possess them. If the ideas were in any way flawed (imperfect), then God would not possess them. The attributes of God that Descartes came up with are that He is “infinite, independent, supremely intelligent, supremely powerful, and which created myself and everything else” (Cottingham 28). Descartes then makes the point that he has the idea of “infinite” describing God. At the same time, Descartes is a “finite” being, meaning he is limited in space and time. Since it has already been established that this more perfect idea of infiniteness cannot come from the less perfect idea of finiteness, the idea could not have originated from Descar

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Third Meditation, Descartes Descartes, , Perfect Descartes’, God Descartes, formal reality, existence god, objective reality, idea perfect, concludes god necessarily, god possess, clarity distinctness, god necessarily, concludes god, idea “cold”, invented idea, independent supremely intelligent,