Does God exist? People through the centuries have tried to answer this question and still haven’t reached a consensus. If during your philosophy classes you were assigned to discuss this topic from the point of view of a philosopher, we can propose you to read the following Descartes proof of God’s existence essay. The author has analyzed and evaluated Descartes’ two proofs of God’s existence. Feel free to use this essay as a model essay for your own writing.
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Analyze and Evaluate Descartes’ Two Proofs of God’s Existence. How Are They Different?
Rene Descartes, a French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist, proposed a number of arguments on God’s existence in his arguments known as the Proof of God’s Existence. In this series of arguments, Descartes brought forth a very logical set of ideas that are powerful yet simple.
The first proof that Descartes proposed was that everything in this world arose as a result of being created by something. So how can humans be created on their own? As stated by Nolan Lawrence, Descartes set forth his argument by stating that nothing in the world can be created on its own; there is a creator of every object. So there must be some sort of power behind the creation of human beings and the world. But the question is, how are we so sure that God was indeed that power? Well, according to Descartes, it is impossible for a perfect thing to arise from a less perfect thing. Therefore, it is philosophically impossible for God, who is perfect in every aspect, to have arisen from something in the world, which is of course not as perfect as God (“Descartes’ Proof of God’s Existence”).
The second proof stated that power is required to preserve something that was created, and it is quite obvious that we humans do not possess the power to preserve our existence, so there must be some divine being behind it.
The two proofs are somewhat different. As explained beautifully by David Scott, Descartes is trying to picture God and His attributes, that God is perfect in every aspect. In the second argument he is trying to conclude this idea with some philosophical ideas about formal reality. The two proofs are related to each other in terms of conclusion but are strikingly different when it comes to explanations, because the first proof is based on the idea of the perfection of God, yet totally neglects the idea that an imperfect creature like human beings, who are prone to make mistakes, are a creation of God. The second proof jumps to philosophy for its explanation, as he explains that people who have the insight of formal reality and truth will find his proofs to be authentic.
Works Cited
“Descartes’ Proof of God’s Existence.” Lecture 6, faculty.ycp.edu.
Nolan, Lawrence. “Descartes’ Ontological Argument.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University, 2 Sept. 2015, plato.stanford.edu/entries/descartes-ontological/.
Scott, David. “Doubt and Descartes’ A Priori Proof of God’s Existence.” Freshwater Biology, Wiley/Blackwell (10.1111), 26 Mar. 2010, onlinelibrary.wiley.com
