Position:Home>Philosophy> Descartes: Discourse Four?

He doesn't, not in Discourse Four!. He gives two proofs, the causal proof, found in Discourse Three, and the ontological proof, found in Discourse Five!.

The causal prove of God investigates what causes us to have the idea of God in our mind, because all ideas must have a cause!. There are three kinds of ideas - infinite things, finite things, and modes (descriptions of things, basically adjectives)!. Infinite things have the most reality, then finite things, then modes!. There are also three kinds of ideas for Descartes; innate, adventitious (from experience), and invented (from our imaginations)!. We have an idea within us of an infinite God!. This cannot be adventitious, because we do not experience God!. So it must be innate or invented!. He also says that the cause of an idea must have as much or more reality than the idea!. So an idea of an infinite thing must come from a finite being, so the idea of an infinite God cannot be invented!. Therefore, it is innate, and must be caused by something infinite, which must be God, because we do not have ideas of any other infinite beings!.

After this, Descartes has shown that God cannot be a deceiver, as he postulated at the beginning of his Meditations!. So now he must investigate what it is that causes us to make mistakes, which is his task in Discourse Four!. He discovers that it is because we have an infinite will, but only finite knowledge!. This means that we can make judgments on things which we have no knowledge about, which causes errors!.

This raises a problem for Descartes, however, in that if our will is infinite, we could simply will the non-existence of God!. This is where the ontological proof comes in!. The ontological proof says that because God is an infinite being, he is the sum of all perfections!. This means that he MUST exist, because existence both in reality and as an idea is more perfect than existing merely as an idea!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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