Descartes Belief in God Essay Example

Descartes searches for an answer that we all would love to know; Does Descartes believe in God? Descartes has a clear and distinct idea of God that believes he exists without being a deceiver. He is looking for the truth and innate knowledge. He discovers that all humans are born with knowledge through the higher power of God. God is a perfect existence that holds all. Descartes relies on the mind to come up with some sort of doubt that will prove the mind is distinct from the body. Any doubts that follow will be eliminated. Descartes' "I think therefore I am" argument states that because his own mind doubts reality and because doubt is a form of thinking, he must therefore exist because the mind is a thinking thing (Descartes, 1998). This statement was originally written in French based on his knowledge of meditation, he found the mind and body dualism will prove that the mind is distinct from the body.

Descartes overcomes solipsism and skepticism to explore the outer world proof of God's existence. God is not a deceiver ( Descartes, 1998) and Descartes cannot prove anything else in his arguments. Without the proof of the existence of God Descartes would not continue his journey in obtaining knowledge. "Could an effect get its reality, if not from its cause" means everything that we acquire came from something equal if not more of a reality (Descartes, 1998)? Basically, what we think is what we become. Descartes's proof of God's existence comes from a list of arguments. 

According to Descartes, he understood that the name God is a substance "that is infinite, independent, supremely intelligent, and supremely powerful, and that created me along with everything else that exists" (Descartes, 1998). Descartes tells us that infinite substance is a formal reality (Smith 2008). For example, Jesus walking on water, the thoughts that fill can be actual or existent. The idea of God is clear and distinct causing Descartes to believe in the existence of God. Now, he understands that infinite Descartes agrees that he is finite. Ideas come from an infinite source that the existence of God highly believable. Once the ideas become clear and distinct, it has to be true. Descartes that he has the same qualities as God created from his thoughts and ideas. All the ideas that occur are born from God, not the evil genius.

All of a sudden, Descartes, analyzes the truth that the existence of God and he is not a deceiver. His thoughts are his thoughts based on his arguments and reasoning. Descartes is convinced about the existence of God. For God to exist, Descartes must believe God exists. The thoughts that we are thinking are the voice or narrative of our reality. God will come to Descartes in a different aspect by revealing the truth within. His defense was not that convincing, which affecting the rest of his ideas. Descartes discovers that when you think you can prove the truth in the Meditations. God is perfection and perfection is existence. Descartes must assume that God exists.