One might infer that Descartes is a "non-believer" in the existence of a heavenly being, a God that presides over humans and gives us faith. However, this is simply not the case. Descartes focus is on trying to destroy all of the uncertainties that have come about by the attempted scientific explanations of such a supreme being or God. For Descartes, and all of the other believers in the world, the existence of God provides a convenient answer to unexplained questions, while never providing answers to the questions about God himself. This is evidenced a great deal in the circular argument made by Descartes in the Meditations. What follows, is a brief account of the third meditation i

Basically, it's like using a word in it's own definition, or 'the definition of an apple is an apple.' The argument begins to get a little bit ambiguous when he begins discussing the uncertainty of his beliefs. He is, as he claims, as certain of the idea of the sun, the moon, the earth, even his own rational thought, as he is certain of God's existence. The most troubling part of the entire section is the understanding of formal and objective reality - remembering his theory that existence is perfection. To understand that to have an idea is to exist is one case, but take for instance the man whom can think, just as someone thinks of God, of a being so absolutely imperfect, clearly and distinctly, that it does not exist. However, according to Descartes, since it has an objective reality, it must follow that it also must have a formal reality as well. Clearly, this is an impossibility which I have yet to ascertain.

It is through this logic that Descartes attempts, rather unsuccessfully in my mind, to prove that the existence of God is not a rare leap of faith but rather a certainty in it's own perfect, unquestionable and ultimately non-comprehensible way. He was certainly arrogant, though, in his thoughts and writings, ascribing characteristics to a being that he himself will never understand fully. In my mind, Descartes exceeded in many parts of his argument, but failed to prove from a logical standpoint the existence of a higher being. We, as humans, will take to heart his ideals, but will continue to work on leaps of faith and the p

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Approximate Word count = 1048
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)