Essay, Research Paper
The quandary of the existence of God has troubled mankind for thousands of years. The existence of God was once never denied, as His presence, His existence was evident in miracles and the people s faith. But time and the advancement of modern science have called God and His very nature into question. The Perfect Being has become the source of much doubt and controversy. What was once certain and surely unquestionable has become the most questioned. The faithful, believing people have become unsure. Often called the father of modern philosophy the father of modern thought, Rene Descartes chose to take up the proof of the existence of God in his Meditations on First Philosophy. Descartes proves the existence of God using an ontological argument, one aimed at understanding the existence, the essence, the being of God. Saint Anselm of Canterbury also makes the existence of God evident using the ontological proof. Following the natural flow of both arguments, Descartes philosophical theory on the existence of God is clearly connected to and based upon Anselm’s theory. At times, it is difficult to tell where one ends and the other begins. Descartes makes the same logical constructions, albeit in a different order, to arrive at Anselm’s argument the God exists.
Saint Anselm approaches the existence of God using the mind and thought. He supposes that God is something-than-which-nothing-greater-can-be-thought. This something is the highest possible object of thought; nothing is greater or more perfect. Anselm then quickly moves to the possibility that this something may or may not exist. He quotes Psalm 13:1, the Fool has said in his heart, There is no God. But Anselm does not reference sacred scripture to deny the existence of God. Instead, Anselm makes the argument that God must exist. For when the Fool hears and takes in the concept of something than which nothing greater can be thought, he surely must understand what this concept means. The Fool understands what he hears, and what he understands is in his mind. But the man is a fool because he does not make the connection that the something must then exist. Anselm illustrates this point with the painter who envisions a picture in his mind and then implements the vision to make it become reality. It is in the doing that the painter realizes existence. The painter has taken the idea and transformed it into something greater. Anselm argues that the same thing can be said about God. In our minds, we have the understanding that God is something than which a greater cannot be thought. But if this something is truly the highest object of thought, it must exist in reality also. There is absolutely no doubt that something-than-which-a-greater-cannot-be-thought exists both in the mind and in reality. Just as the painter brings an idea into its highest form when he creates a picture, God must be in His highest form when He exists.
Rene Descartes follows a similar pattern to prove the existence of God. Because Descartes has doubted everything he knows, he can only contemplate God s existence using knowledge to which he has previously assented. This is, namely, that Descartes is a rational being who thinks and understands. He cannot use elements of the physical world to prove the existence of God. And so Descartes begins his second proof for the existence of God in Meditation Five.
Descartes examines the concept of ideas. When a person thinks of an idea, they perceive countless particulars concerning shapes, number, movement, and the like. In our minds, there is the understanding of what an idea is we understand the idea s attributes. Sometimes, this understanding is fundamentally basic. Descartes uses the triangle to prove his point. When we think of a triangle, we know that it has three sides, three angles and that the sides and angles interact with each other to form the shape known as triangle. All that I clearly and distinctly perceive to belong to that thing really does belong to it, then cannot this too be a basis for an argument proving the existence of God? Because Descartes can clearly understand the properties of a triangle that make it a triangle, he can understand the properties of God that make up God. Descartes believes the properties of God are just as concrete as the properties of a mathematical number or geometrical shape.
One of the inherent properties of this supremely perfect being called God is that He exists. Just as the three sides and three angles cannot be separated from the triangle, so existence cannot be separated from God. If you take a side away from the triangle, it is no longer a triangle. Similarly, if you take existence away from God, He cannot be God, and this is a contradiction. Descartes summarizes his findings:
But from the fact that I cannot think of God except as existing, it follows that existence is inseparable from God, and that for this reason he really exists. Not that my thought brings this about or imposes any necessity on anything; but rather the necessity of the thing itself, namely of the existence of God, forces me to think this. For I am not free to think of God without existence, that is, a supremely perfect being without a supreme perfection
“God is a supremely perfect being, and in this perfection must reside existence. The very concept of God as a perfect being implies that God must exist in reality. If God only existed in the mind or in thought, then God could be more perfect in reality. But if God is perfect already, then he must already exist.”
The similarities between Anselm and Descartes proofs are astounding. Both thinkers supposed the existence of something of which nothing is greater. Both concluded that this great Being was perfect, was God and must exist in reality. Descartes and Anselm both use the non-believer to show the contradiction between the man who understands the concept of God but cannot connect God with existence. While Descartes moves from the implications and characteristics of a perfect God to prove He exists, Descartes maintains Anselm s established position of a perfect Being who must exist to achieve perfection.
There are several objections that can be made about Descartes proof of the existence of God. First, the move from the concept of I think to God exists is rather profound. While Descartes reasoning is somewhat sound, it can be argued that perfection does not require existence in reality. The mere idea of a triangle with three equal sides generates an image in our minds: a perfect triangle with three equal angles. This perfect triangle does not need to physically exist in order for us to understand its perfection. In a similar way, a perfect God does not need anything. He does not need a people to worship Him; He does not need to physically exist. This is also evident in Christianity today. God did not take on human form, that is, physically exist in the earthly sense, until many years after He created the world. And God took on a human form to show His love for His people and to redeem them. He did not come to the earth as Jesus to prove His existence.
Descartes was also not complete in his rejection of past knowledge. He would surely have been taught about Anselm s proof for the existence of God. This is evident in the almost exact replication of Anselm s proof. While Descartes takes a slightly different route to achieve the proof, the common threads that run between both proofs is undeniably evident. Descartes thought process about the existence of God is riddled with nomenclature giving God the masculine gender. If Descartes truly rejected all past experience of God, all of his past knowledge about God, Descartes would be forced to refer to God in the neuter gender. He would not know if God was either man, woman or both without remembering past experience and teachings. The proper treatment of God s existence would first be to establish existence, and then determine other qualities and characteristics of God. And the physical characteristics of God could only be identified based upon tradition and prior knowledge. Instead, Descartes applies a certain personality to the God he is trying to prove exists. There is also an objectionable proof used to establish God s existence. Descartes refers to the mountains and valleys and their inseparableness. Descartes cannot use mountains and valleys, physical things, to prove God exists, because he has not first proved the mountains and valleys exist. Again, this clearly shows that Descartes had not put all previous physical knowledge aside for this proof.
As one of the fathers of modern thought, Rene Descartes radically changed the direction of philosophy in a new world. Modern science was able to explain things that were once left to divine providence. This new ability to explain, to heal, to understand arose doubts about the existence of a perfect God who exists in reality. Descartes, in a strong effort to prove everything he experienced in life and thought sought to prove the existence of God. While he has some errors in critical thought, namely the inability to completely put aside old knowledge and previous experience, Descartes reiterates a sound proof for the existence of God God exists and is a very real part of the world, humanity and life.
348
Другие работы по теме:
Ren Descartes Essay Research Paper Prove
Ren Descartes Essay, Research Paper Prove It I dare YOUProve It, I Dare YouFor many years philosophers have disputed argued, dissected and used countless of other devices in order to prove God’s existence. Is there someone or something that has been there since time started? All my life I was raised to believe that God exists.
God Existence Essay Research Paper
In the beginning of Scholasticism, one of the biggest problems is the place of dialectic, because it was often inconsistent with theology. Anselm made a moderate point between
St. Anselm
’s God Necessarily Exists Essay, Research Paper Throughout history It has been man kinds quest to find a proof of the existence of God. Even today, religious archeologist, plunder the Earth, looking for Noah’s Ark, The Ark of the Covenant, or the site Jesus Christ was thought to have been buried. These men and women are searching for artifacts to prove the existence of God to people who believe there is no God.
Descartes And The Material World Essay Research
Paper Can you doubt that the material world exists? If you can’t, does it follow that Descartes’ method of doubt is useless?It is very difficult to know for certain if the material world exists or not because we are dealing with metaphysical philosophy. Metaphysical philosophy is the branch of philosophy concerned with the basic nature of reality.
Existence Of God Essay Research Paper Chris
Existence Of God Essay, Research Paper Chris Karcz114-68-4634 Existence of God or the Lack There of Philosophers and theologians have always searched a way to prove the existence or non-existence of God. Many of these philosophers have made valid points for their views on the subject. Philosophers such as Saint Thomas Aquinas, Decartes, and John Locke argued for the existence of God while others, such as Rowe and Hume, searched for ways to disprove the arguments that these philosophers stated.
Is There A God Essay Research Paper
Does God Exist? God not only exists in the understanding, but in reality as well. God, according to Anselm, is a being “than which nothing greater can be conceived” (Anselm 29). According to this concept God could not simply exist in an understanding because that would leave the possibility of a greater being than God – He who exists in reality as well as understanding.
Descartes God Essay Research Paper Descartes
Descartes God Essay, Research Paper Descartes’ meditations are created in pursuit of certainty, or true knowledge. He cannot assume that what he has learned is necessarily true, because he is unsure of the accuracy of its initial source. In order to purge himself of all information that is possibly wrong, he subjects his knowledge to methodic doubt.
Proofs For God
’s Existence Essay, Research Paper The first argument introduced by Aquinas states that nothing could move, unless it is being moved by something else, suggesting that there is an original mover. Aquinas asserts that motion is nothing else than the reduction of something from potentiality to actuality, but nothing can be reduced from potentiality to actuality except by something in a state of actuality.
Rene Decartes Essay Research Paper Descartes is
Rene Decartes Essay, Research Paper Descartes is famed by is familiar notion, “I think therefore I am (Cogito, ergo sum.).” It is a conclusion he has reached in his second meditation after much deliberation on the existence of anything certain. After he discovers his ability to doubt and to understand , he is able to substantiate his necessary existence as a consequence.
The Ontological Argument Essay Research Paper The
The Ontological Argument Essay, Research Paper The Ontological argument is a group of different philosophers arguments for the existence of God. “Ontological” literally means talking about being and so in this case, that being is the existence or being of God. The main component of the Ontological argument can be found in the Anselm’s “Proslogion” which is a short work that tries to demonstrate both the existence and the nature of God.
Kierkegaard Essay Research Paper Kierkegaard felt that
Kierkegaard Essay, Research Paper Kierkegaard felt that subjective reflection was more crucial to the individual life than objective reflection because it focused on passion and human existence instead of logic and impersonal truth. The objective world is the world of facts and truth independent of the perceptions of humans.
Aquinas Essay Research Paper According to Aquinas
Aquinas Essay, Research Paper According to Aquinas everything is created was created by God. Aquinas made five proofs to proof the God exists and HE created everything. His five proofs are motion, efficient cause, possibility/necessity, gradation, and governance of the world.
How Do We Know That God Exists
? Essay, Research Paper Throughout history there have always been questions that we as humans are just unable to answer. The questions surrounding the topic of God seem to be ever elusive, just beyond our reach. The human race has made strides to answer these difficult questions. Unfortunately, as with all knowledge we find ourselves asking more difficult questions.
Saint Thomas Aquinas Writings Essay Research Paper
In “Summa Contra Gentiles”, by Saint Thomas Aquinas, one of the major proofs of the existence of God is the second proof. The second proof is based on the “everything has a cause” theory. He states that there are ordered lines of efficient causes, and nothing can be it’s own cause. Yet it is impossible for the line of efficient causes to extend into infinity.
Spinoza
’s Ethics, Part I Proposition 33 Essay, Research Paper Baruch Spinoza believes the essence of God includes God’s existence and discusses the causality of God through his ontological work, Ethics. In Ethics, Spinoza is seeking a method of truth through the perfect being. The essence of what that perfect being expresses, using this method of truth, is God (i.e. the perfect being).
Censorship Essay Research Paper Probably the most
Censorship Essay, Research Paper Probably the most obvious example of intolerance in our society today is the existence of censorship. I have yet to encounter a valid argument for any form of censorship. Such arguments as are presented invariably take the form of concern for the well being of others , children frequently being the alleged victims quoted .
Does Goe Exist Essay Research Paper Does
Does Goe Exist Essay, Research Paper Does God exist? Theology, cosmological, teleological and ontological arguments are all have ways to prove the existence of God. With all of these great arguments how can one
Role Of Faith Essay Research Paper Role
Role Of Faith Essay, Research Paper Role of Faith Society’s investigation for adequate evidence to sustain rational belief in God may seem unsatisfactory. Throughout history, people have been appealing to reason and looking for evidence to substantiate these beliefs. However, we have not yet taken into consideration the role of faith.
Descartes First Meditation Essay Research Paper Descartes
Descartes First Meditation Essay, Research Paper Descartes first meditation, his main objective is to present three skeptical arguments to bring doubt upon what he considers his basic beliefs. Descartes believes this to be an intricate part of his complete epistemological argument. Descartes skeptical arguments are not intended to be a denial of his basic beliefs.
Onthological Argument Essay Research Paper The Ontological
Onthological Argument Essay, Research Paper The Ontological Argument (a) Give an account of the Ontological Argument for the existence of God? The Ontological argument is a group of different philosophers arguments for the existence of God. “Ontological” literally means talking about being and so in this case, that being is the existence or being of God.
Descarte Essay Research Paper The purpose of
Descarte Essay, Research Paper The purpose of this paper will be to examine Descartes’ argument for the existence of God. First we will review Descartes’ proof for the existence of God. Then we will discuss the reasons that Descartes has for proving God’s existence. We will also discuss some consequences that appear as a result of God’s existence.
Aquinas
’ First Proof Of The Existence Of God Essay, Research Paper I have chosen to write St. Thomas Aquinas proof citing motion as proof of the existence of God. Although I must admit to being a little confused the wording, I see it as being in terms of ability too, act of, and the first to act.
The Fundamental Theorem Of Algebra Essay Research
Paper The Fundamental Theorem of Algebra states that every polynomial equation of degree n with complex coefficients has n roots in the complex numbers. In fact, there are many equivalent formulations: for example that every real polynomial can be expressed as the product of real linear and real quadratic factors.
Existence Of God Essay Research Paper For
Existence Of God Essay, Research Paper For being accustomed in all other things to make a distinction between existence and essence, I easily persuade myself that existence may perhaps be separated from the essence of God, and thus God might be conceived as not existent actually. PROP. XI. God, or substance, consisting, of infinite attributes, of which each expresses eternal and infinite essentiality, necessarily exists.
St Thomas AquinasProofs Of Gods Existance Essay
, Research Paper St. Thomas Aquinas: Proofs of God?s existence. Aquinas says that God?s essence (feeling) is his existence. That there is no Actual need for proof of his existence. Before he actually developed his
Descartes And The Existance Of God Essay
, Research Paper Descartes and the Existence of God. In this paper I will be to examining Descartes argument for the existence of God. Thefirst thing we will do is look at Descartes proof for the existence of God, and then discuss thereasons that Descartes has for proving God s existence. We will also discuss some of theconsequences that appear as a result of God s existence.
Stigmata And The Truth About God Essay
, Research Paper The film Stigmata is a graphic and frightening tale of spiritual awakening that provokes the viewer to question their own faith in religion. It is not merely a film about a young stigmatic woman. More importantly director Rupert Wainwright has produced a film portraying his view of the Catholic Church.
Argument About The Exist Of God Essay
, Research Paper Argument About The Exist of God The following paper will provide a sound argument in favor of the existence of God. By demonstrating that an Atheist world cannot account for the
Does God Exist To Descartes Essay Research
Paper Upon cursory examination, one might assume that Rene Descartes is a ?non-believer? in the existence of a heavenly being, a God that presides over humans and gives us faith. However, this is simply not the case ? Descartes is simply trying to destroy all of the uncertainties that have come about by the attempted scientific explanations of such a supreme being.
Can The Existence Of God Be Proved
A Priori? Essay, Research Paper The existence of God can be proved a priori by a logical deduction from the concept of God, when we think about the idea of God we realise that real
Philosophy 2
Philosophy – God Question Essay, Research Paper Philosophy as defined by our required text is said to be “the love of wisdom. It is the search for the larger picture, the demand for knowledge.” There are many questions in philosophy, many involving the subject of religion. Does God exist? Should we believe in God? Is belief in God justified? These are just some of the questions attempted to be answered in philosophy.
The Randle Report Essay Research Paper The
The Randle Report Essay, Research Paper The Randle Report, by Kevin D. Randle explores UFO research in the1990’s. In reading his book I have gained much knowledge of how to determine whether
Why God Cannot Exist Using Descartes
’ Arguements Essay, Research Paper Descartes sets about proving the existence of God through his meditations on knowledge in an effort to prove the skeptics of his time wrong. He first determines that human knowledge is based entirely too much on unproved presuppositions. He argues that this makes it difficult to distinguish between truth and error, since we cannot recognize true knowledge.