Explore the World's Best Ideas
Join today and uncover 100+ curated journeys from 50+ topics. Unlock access to our mobile app with extensive features.
First, Descartes proposed that there are three sources of ideas:
Innate - Ideas that are within us
Fictitious - Ideas that come from our imagination
Adventitious - Ideas that come from experiences of the world.
14
203 reads
Descartes proposed the Level of Reality, This hierarchy is based on the perfection of the Ideas in their own.
Objective reality - is the reality that something has as ideas or representation, or reality that an idea or representation exist.
Formal Reality or actual reality - are the reality that is actual and not just represent.
Eminent reality - is the reality of an idea that is not active but has a potential for its actuality (to formal Reality).
13
143 reads
Objective reality is on the top because we can perceive a Perfect triangle, but I'm actual reality and eminent there is no perfect triangle, as all triangles in reality is composed of material that can be curved, erase of something. A perfect idea of triangle only exist in Objective reality and it can be called Infinite-objectibe reality, were the idea of objective reality is extended to the infinity. So, this reality is in beyond the other ideas objective reality.
12
101 reads
Rene Descartes argues that our idea of God did not came from the Fictitious, Adventitious and Innate ideas, he insists that the Idea of God is came from God itself and he used the levels of reality to prove it.
12
91 reads
Premise 1 : I have an idea of God as an infinitely perfect being.
The source of this ideas are:
Fictitious
Adventitious
Innate
Not Fictitious because fictitious ideas are imagination, and imagination is a combination of elements from sensory experience. Therefore, it lacks the quality for a certain, infinite and perfect idea of God.
Not Adventitious because Adventitious ideas are arises from external stimuli or experience. Therefore, it also lacks the quality for a certain, infinite and perfect idea of God.
The first two options may be subject to doubt (Meditation 1)
11
80 reads
Premise 2: If I have an idea of an infinitely perfect being, then some infinitely perfect being must exist.
There is no reasonable source for that infinite and perfect idea of God to exist. Then, the source of my idea of God must really be infinitely perfect being (Beyond objective reality).
Conclusion: Therefore, an infinitely perfect being called God, exists.
This argument is often called Descartes' ontological argument, asserting that the idea of God and his perfection implies His existence.
11
73 reads
Rene Descartes also concluded here that an absolutely perfect being is a good, benevolent being therefore God would not deceive him. It settles some of the unresolved problem of skeptical hypothesis from Meditation I.
(As of the moment of this meditation "I" or "a thinking thing" and "God" is the only thing that sure to exist)
11
62 reads
Premise 1: I exist (as a thinking thing, Meditation II).
Premise 2: My existence must have a cause.
The only Possible Ultimate Causes are:
Myself
I always having existed
My parents
Something less perfect than God
God
13
64 reads
Not "Myself"
If I had created myself, I would have made myself perfect. Also I'm a finite being.
Not "I always having existed"
This does not solve the problem. If I am a dependent being, I need to be continually sustained by another.
Not "My Parents"
This leads to an infinite regress from generation to generation and they are also dependent being.
Not "Something less than a God"
The idea of perfection that exists in me cannot have originated from a non-perfect being.
13
58 reads
IDEAS CURATED BY
CURATOR'S NOTE
In this Meditation III Rene is trying to prove the existence of God.
“
Similar ideas
2 ideas
Meditation Techniques For People Who Hate Meditation
fastcompany.com
11 ideas
2 ideas
How Meditation Works
theatlantic.com
Read & Learn
20x Faster
without
deepstash
with
deepstash
with
deepstash
Personalized microlearning
—
100+ Learning Journeys
—
Access to 200,000+ ideas
—
Access to the mobile app
—
Unlimited idea saving
—
—
Unlimited history
—
—
Unlimited listening to ideas
—
—
Downloading & offline access
—
—
Supercharge your mind with one idea per day
Enter your email and spend 1 minute every day to learn something new.
I agree to receive email updates