Descartes Meditations III/IV Analysis
...things have. It is the reality that shows more substances of the two. 4. How does Descartes use these two notions of reality to prove God’s existence? Descartes claims that his idea of supreme God – eternal, infinite, omniscient, omnipotent, and creator of all things other than Himself – has more presentational reality in it than the ideas which present finite substances. Thus, the God must have infinite presentational reality and formal reality. Descartes argues that the effect’s reality is derived from its cause and the cause cannot give out more reality than what it really has. Thus, he concludes that all ideas must come from something and everything must have a cause. 5. State Descartes causal principle that ties the notion of reality with causes and effects. "It is evident by the light of nature that there must be at least as much [reality] in the … cause as there is in the effect of that same cause." An effect derives its reality from its cause. What is more perfect cannot be derived from what is less perfect. There is at least as much formal reality in the cause as there is objective reality contained in the idea. 6. As related to the previous question, try to state what Descartes’ argument is for the existence of God. If the presentational reality of any of my ideas is so great that I am certain that the same degree of reality is not in me either formally or eminently, I can conclude that I cannot be the cause of that idea, that another thing must necessarily exist as its cause, and consequently that I am not alone in the world. Descartes then examines his sources of ideas – God, physical objects, angels, animals, and fellow human beings. 1) Physical objects – seems natural that the idea could come from myself 2) God – Descartes before stated that God is infinite, independent, intelligent, powerful. He claims that the idea of God cannot have arised from he himself alone since the idea has infinite presentational reality and its cause has the infinite formal reality. Since God is infinite, God must be causing this idea. Thus, God exists. Something cannot come from nothing. So everything must have a cause. So my ideas must have a cause. A cause must contain at least as much reality as its effect. So the cause of my ideas must have as much reality as my ideas do. The cause of ideas must contain at least as much formal reality as the ideas contain presentational reality. My idea of God is an idea of an infinite thing ; thus it has infinite presentational reality. The cause of my idea of God must have infinite formal reality. I do not have infinite formal reality. So I cannot be the cause of my idea of God. The only thing that has infinite formal reality is God. So God must be the cause of my idea of God. By Meditation IV, with God in hand, Descartes is optimistic about his project. Still, there is a problem raised in Meditation I as to how we could have a God who is benevolent and yet allows me to be deceived. Descartes notes that God cannot deceive me (that would amount to an imperfection, and God is perfect) and that my God-given ability to make judgments cannot lead me astray. The obvious problem is that I am sometimes wrong, so how do we explain this? 7. What does Descartes say about the power accorded to us in virtue of having a will? Descartes claims that the will is limited by no boundaries and it is the chief reason why he regards himself as an image or likeness of God. Descartes claims that God’s will seems no greater than his because having a will just amounts to being inclined to do or not to do, to affirm or den...