Prove the Existence of God Using Who Has the Idea of God

In this paper, I will explain how Descartes uses the existence of himself to prove the existence of God. The “idea of God is in my mind” is based on “I think, therefore I am”, so there is a question arises: “do I derive my existence? Why, from myself, or from my parents, or from whatever other things there are that are less perfect than God. For nothing more perfect than God, or even as perfect as God, can be thought or imagined.” (Descartes 32, 48) Descartes investigates his reasons to show that he, his parents and other causes cannot cause the existence of himself.

I do not cause the existence of myself

Descartes illustrates “I am not the reason I exist” from two perspectives:

(1)Direct reason: If I am the reason I exist, it has an incredible conclusion “if I got my being from myself, I would not doubt, nor would I desire, nor would I lack anything at all. For I would have given myself all the perfections of which I have some idea; in so doing, I myself would be God!” (Descartes 32, 48) This means, I have great perfection, I do not need depend on anything else, if so, I become God, it is clearly impossible. Because it is harder for me to think about getting things that I lack than the things I have. On the other hand, it is more difficult for me to think I come from nothing than to acquire things I do not know. If I give this great thing to myself, I will not lack things that are easily to get, and I will not lack things I understand from the idea of God. Since none of them are difficult for me to acquire. If any of them are difficult for me to acquire, I will experience my power is limited. As a result, I am not God.

(2)Indirect reason: I can assume I used to exist like now, but I cannot ignore the discontinuity of time and...

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...es me, “God should have endowed me with this idea, so that it would be like the mark of the craftsman impressed upon his work” (Descartes 34, 51). Descartes says “the whole force of the argument rest on the fact that I recognize that it would be impossible for me to exist, being of such a nature as I am (namely, having in me the idea of God), unless God did in fact exist.” (Descartes 35, 52) My nature and my existence themselves prove the existence of God, therefore, Descartes says “the mere fact of my existing and of there being in me an idea of a most perfect being, that is God, demonstrates most evidently that God too exists.” (Descartes 34, 51)

Works Cited

Descartes, René. "Meditation Three." Descartes, René. Meditations on First Philosophy. Trans. Donald A. Cress. Third Edition. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc., 1993. 24-35. Paperback.