Descartes Trademark Argument for Gods Existence Essay

Descartes Trademark Argument for Gods Existence The trademark argument (also known as the causal argument) tries to prove Gods existence through the fact that we have an idea of him. This argument rests on Descartes definition of cause and effect, which he considers a priori. This idea, that God is an infinite being, he reasons is innate left on our brain as his stamp or trademark much like a potter leaves on his pots. God, at my creation, implanted this idea in me, that it might serve, as it were, for the mark of the workman impressed on his work This idea of infinity must be innate because a finite thing like a human cannot come up with the idea of something infinite just as stone†¦show more content†¦Descartes uses the example of a stone, saying that it cannot be produced by anything that does not contain everything to be found in the stone. Similarly, heat cannot be produced by anything that does not contain the same order of perfection as the heat. The purpose of this premise is to reinforce the saying that nothing comes from nothing (Latin: ex nihilo nihil fit). I have an idea of a perfect being; it must contain in reality all the features that are contained merely objectively in my idea. He cannot think of a being perfect because he is an imperfect being or can the idea have come from an union of various other ideas that he has, for there would have to be an infinite regress that would in any event trace back to an original cause of the idea. Thus, the ultimate cause of Descartes idea of God must possess all the traits that Descartes sees it to have, and therefore it can be concluded that God necessarily exists. Its flaw is that it suggests that there can be no cases of objects being greater than the sum of their parts. For example, the strength inherent in a bridge must, be contained in the girders and rivets that make it up. If the bridge did not get its strength from these basic parts, then it seems that they came from nowhere. We can also say that helium, which is caused by the fusion of hydrogen atoms, possesses properties that were not present in theShow MoreRelatedDescartes Meditations On First Philosophy1712 Words   |  7 PagesDescartes’ Meditations on First Philosophy (1641) contains six Meditations. In the first two of these Descartes addresses doubt and certainty. By the end of the second Meditation Descartes establishes the possibility of certainty by concluding that he is a â€Å"thinking thing† and that this is beyond doubt. Having established the possibility of certainty, Descartes attempts to prove the existence of God. The argument he presents in the Thi rd Meditation for the existence of God has been nicknamed theRead More Descartes Meditations Essay2147 Words   |  9 PagesDescartes Meditations In Descartes’ meditations, Descartes begins what Bernard Williams has called the project of ‘pure enquiry’ to discover an indubitable premise or foundation to base his knowledge on, by subjecting everything to a kind of scepticism now known as Cartesian doubt. This is known as foundationalism, where a philosopher basis all epistemological knowledge on an indubitable premise. Within meditation one Descartes subjects all of his beliefs regarding sensory data and evenRead MoreDescartes Meditation Iii1297 Words   |  6 PagesPhilosophy Descartes tries to prove the existence of God in the third meditation. He does this by coming up with several premises that eventually add up to a solid argument. First, I will explain why Descartes ask the question, does god exist? And why does Descartes think he needs such and argument at this point in the text. Secondly, I will explain, in detail, the arguments that Descartes makes and how he comes to the conclusion that God does exist. Next, I will debate some of Descartes premisesRead MoreEssay on Mediations of First Philosophy by Descartes1296 Words   |  6 PagesMediations of First Philosophy by Descartes In the â€Å"Mediations of First Philosophy† Descartes tries to prove the existence of God in the third meditation. He does this by coming up with several premises that eventually add up to a solid argument. First, I will explain why Descartes ask the question, does god exist? And why does Descartes think he needs such and argument at this point in the text. Secondly, I will explain, in detail, the arguments that Descartes makes and how he comes to the conclusionRead MoreDescartes s Idea Of God888 Words   |  4 Pages Descartes uses the trademark argument as a way to eventually prove that our clear and distinct ideas are true and real, but he follows a specifically in-line methodology to get to this conclusion first. To begin his argument, he says simply says that he clearly has an idea of God, but he quickly segues this into the point that everything of existence, including his idea of God, has a cause. So if everything that exists has a cause, and it is understood that something cannot come from nothing, whereRead More Rene Descartes Meditations on First Philosophy Essay1946 Words   |  8 PagesRene Descartes Meditations on First Philosophy Rene Descartes’ third meditation from his book Meditations on First Philosophy, examines Descartes’ arguments for the existence of God. The purpose of this essay will be to explore Descartes’ reasoning and proofs of God’s existence. In the third meditation, Descartes states two arguments attempting to prove God’s existence, the Trademark argument and the traditional Cosmological argument. Although his arguments are strong and relatively truthfulRead MoreRene Descartes - Existence of God Essay1961 Words   |  8 PagesRene Descartes third meditation from his book Meditations on First Philosophy, examines Descartes arguments for the existence of God. The purpose of this essay will be to explore Descartes reasoning and proofs of Gods existence. In the third meditation, Descartes states two arguments attempting to prove Gods existence, the Trademark argument and the traditional Cosmological argument. Although his arguments are strong and relatively truthful, they do no prove the existence of God. At theRead MoreThe Paradox Of The Existence Of God1460 Words   |  6 PagesIII) How does Descartes use this principle to prove the existence of God? Does his proof work? In the 3rd mediation of Descartes Mediations and other Metaphysical Writings, Descartes provided us with The Trademark Argument, a both cosmological and ontological argument, in order to attempt to prove the existence of God. The a priori (something that comes before) argument gains its title from the concept that God has left a ‘trademark’ or stamp in our minds to prove his existence. Descartes saw there toRead MoreRene Descartes’s Trademark Argument States that God is the Center of the World875 Words   |  3 PagesAccording to Descartes’s â€Å"Trademark Argument† everything, mind and matter, has a cause in God’s respect. He believes that God exists due to the inference that if something is the cause of something else, that something exists. In the passage from page 25, part 5 of Renà © Descartes’s â€Å"Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy,† the author attempts to explain the meaning behind the way God de cided to: create the world as we know it, and maintain it. Descartes uses logic-based reasoningRead MoreEssay about Assessment of Descartes Claims About the Existence of God739 Words   |  3 PagesAssessment of Descartes Claims About the Existence of God While reading Descartes book â€Å"meditations on the first philosophy† I noticed some fatal flaws in his reasoning in his 3rd mediation, so I shall start from the start of this chapter and assess his reasoning’s as I read through the chapter. Descartes assesses that he is certain he is a thinking thing, as I think therefore I am is self-evident, he then tries to go on to see whatever else he can be certain about