Question:
- In Meditation V, Descartes proffers an ontological argument for God’s existence. Assess that argument and determine if you find it convincing. Then discuss if this argument is enough for him to claim in the last paragraph of Meditation VI, “For from the fact that God is not a deceiver it follows that in cases like these I am completely free from error.” Also, discuss just what “cases” he means.
Answer:
To start,
I must iterate the fact that Descartes believes in God. To him God is the explanation for the presence of perfection on Earth. I liken this in the modern world to the reference of things as “Heaven Sent” which he discusses in Meditations saying, ” And we must not here object that it is in truth necessary for me to assert that God exists after having presupposed that he possesses every sort of perfection”. To myself this is a very valid argument although reading his writing in today’s English comes across as slightly rambling, I do think he makes very valid points underneath it all.
He also says, ” And so I very clearly recognize that the certainty and truth of all knowledge depends alone on the knowledge of the true God, in so much that, before I knew Him, I could not have a perfect knowledge of any other thing. And now that I know Him, I have the means of acquiring a perfect knowledge of an infinitude of things”. To Descartes God possess the truth of all knowledge and in finding God through your own personal journey you can also gain great truth. This is my favorite part of the whole writing very inspiring.
In reference to, “For from the fact that God is not a deceiver it follows that in cases like these I am completely free from error.” God is all knowing, and his creation is not free from sin but what Descartes meant is that he cannot know what he does not know somethings about God he has to speculate and in these “cases” he gets a pass. One cannot fault him for trying to understand and be closer to God. -Xander
Dicker, Georges. “Meditation V.” Descartes, Oxford University Press, 2013, https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:osobl/9780195380323.003.0005.