Critically analysis of Descartes’
1st proof of the existence of God
Descartes first
argument for the existence of God is located in the Third Meditations of his
First Philosophy. We might tentatively entitle Descartes’ first argument for
the existence of God as ‘The Causal Argument’. Descartes defines God as a
substance that is infinite-eternal, immutable- independent, supremely
intelligent, supremely powerful and which created both myself and everything else.
He cannot be the cause of any idea, either formally or eminently, Descartes
reasons that he is formally a finite substance; hence he can be the cause of
any idea with the objective reality of a finite substance. Since finite
substances require another party to subsist, namely God and modes require a
finite substance as well as God, finite substances are more real than modes.
The problem lies however in the idea of God being an infinite substance; which
is more real due to its absolute independence; it follows that Descartes, a finite
substance, cannot be the cause of his idea of an infinite substance. This is
because a finite substance does not have enough reality to be the cause of this
idea, for if a finite substance were the cause of this idea, then where would
it have got the extra reality? But the idea must have come from something. So
something that is actually an infinite substance, namely God, must be the cause
of the idea of an infinite substance. Therefore, God exists as the only
possible cause of this idea.
If we see it from
Descartes perspective, we might think why he thought this argument worked. What
might be our first task is to find out, is if Descartes’ idea of God, is a
fabrication or not, if we discover his notion of God to be, simply a
fabrication, this will be a serious flaw in his argument. It would appear from
the above outline of Descartes’ argument that he would reason the objective
idea of God in his mind to be adventitious or innate. The key to understanding
Descartes’ view of God is in understanding his definition of ‘eminent reality’,
for it is on this definition that ‘properties’ and ‘substances’ are defined.
Descartes views properties to be less real, or perhaps more aptly stated less
independent, than substances which posses greater independence. God being
defined as an infinite substance means he has a total state of independence
from all other substances, this would preclude Descartes from being the cause
of the objective reality of the idea of God, as Descartes does not contain as
much eminent reality as the idea of God contains. Therefore we can rule out Descartes’
objective idea of God as a fabrication, as we know a fabrication can be controlled,
examined and cast aside at will. And we see from the above argument, that God
cannot be redefined as, for example, a finite being, or a material being, hence
it follows that this being cannot be invented by him. It would appear his idea
of God is closer to being innate, as he defines the term.
Conclusion
Descartes’ first
argument is based upon the notion of working from his causal ideas: since all
substances rely on God to subsist, and all properties rely on substances and
God to exist, it follows then that properties contain less reality than
substances. God is defined as an infinite substance, which Descartes could not
eminently be responsible for, as he is only a finite substance and does not
present with the formal prerequisites to create such an idea objectively in his
mind. Therefore Descartes reasons, God exists.
Descartes has another proof for the existence of God’s, just as God is
defined as an infinite substance, which could not be produced in Descartes’
mind, he is also defined as necessarily existing, which is essential to his
nature, his essence, just as. For
example, a triangle has 3 sides is essential to its nature. Descartes’ other
proof for the existence of God relies upon the medieval tradition of separating
essence from existence, and existence from necessary existence. All things
conceivably contain existence, but only one thing contains necessary or
ontological existence, and that is God.
