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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 3 page essay that summarizes the arguments (proofs) that Descartes argues in Meditation III in his Meditations on First Philosophy. No additional sources cited.
Page Count:
3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khrdprg.rtf
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the nature of knowledge, that is, how do we know with certainty that what we believe to be true actually is true. In establishing a firm foundation on which
to build accurate knowledge, Descartes felt that it was crucial to understanding reality, first of all, to establish a clear understanding of God. In Meditation III, he does this by
offering a series of arguments that prove the existence of God. Descartes begins Meditation III by summing up the conclusions that he arrived at in the first two sections
of his text. These conclusions define Descartes as a "...a thing that thinks" (Descartes). Therefore, he proceeds by analyzing the nature of ideas. Some ideas, Descartes argues, appear to be
"innate, some adventitious and others to be formed (or invented)" by himself, as he reasons that he has the "power of understanding...from no other source than my own nature" (Descartes).
This line of reasoning presents an argument that ideas can be conceived of as purely objective, that is, residing in the mind alone, but caused by a source outside of
the mind. Descartes then reasons that the cause of an idea or effect must have greater reality than the effect. Regardless of his own will, he feels the heat of
the fire next to him. Therefore, he reasons that the effect, the idea of God, must have a cause in reality. Descartes writes, "By the name of God I
understand a substance that is infinite...independent, all-knowing, all-powerful," which are ideas that seem to him incapable of "proceeding from me alone" (Descartes). This leads Descartes to conclude that "God necessarily
exists" (Descartes). Since Descartes realizes that he is not perfect, a fact that he proves by showing that he has imperfect knowledge, he reasons that the idea of perfection within
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