PHIL 151 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Omnibenevolence, Ontological Argument
19 Jun 2018
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Descartes’ Meditations 4-6 Lecture Notes
Descartes' Metaphysics
Question of God's existence
Nature of the mind and body
Descartes basic metaphysical unit is substance
oThere are only 3 substances
God
Mind
Body
God is the only true substance
oGod's existence is self-sustained and explained (His essence includes existence)
The other substances depend on God for their existence
Each substance has an essence;
oGod's essence is perfection
oMind's essence is thought
oBody's essence is extension (spatially)
What about the Wax?
Describing properties (colour, shape, smell, etc.…)
Despite the fact that we seem to know the wax though our senses, each of the properties we
sense is mutable, and therefore unstable
oEach property is subject to change
oEssence has to be characteristic of that thing throughout all changes
None of the properties tell us about the real essence (does not and cannot come from the
senses)
The essence of the wax is it's extension (extended in space) and remains the same thing
despite the changes in its properties
KEY REVELATION: we only ever truly perceive the essence of the wax through the
intellect (not senses)
oOne of the goals of the Meditations was to lead us away from the senses and towards
the intellect as the true source and seat of knowledge
oYou are a mind above all else and can think of yourself as existing without a body
Back to the Cogito
Descartes claims we can apprehend the truth of the Cogito through "a clear and distinct
understanding" of its truth
This involves intellectual perception through reason alone
The Cogito gives Descartes a criterion from finding indubitable beliefs
The Argument from Clarity & Distinctness
Anything I apprehend as clearly and distinctly as the Cogito cannot be false
From Secure Foundation to…?
In order to bring the project of the Mediations to completion, Descartes must find a means of
proving God's existence
He must do so only with the tools at his disposal - namely only the most trustworthy contents
of him mind
Descartes believes that our idea of God itself gives us the means to finish the task
God in the Meditations
2 arguments to establish God's existence:
oThe Causal Argument (not in exam)
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