Descartes begins Discourse 4 by stating that he is rejecting all things that he finds any doubt in. He questions if anything exists. By thinking he realizes that he must be something. He declares his supposition, "I think therefore I am", as an unshakable basis. And from this basis he argues that his whole essence is to think.
He states that ideas do not exist within him, but come from a superior begin; God. And it is as certain as any geometric proof that God exists. Therefore, the ideas that enter him must be true, and we are not wholly perfect so that we can understand that everthing true comes from a perfect being.
Finally, reason does not insist that what we see is true, but becasue God is perfect and truthful all our ideas must have a foundation of truth.
3 comments:
Maybe Descartes is trying to deferr responsibility for his own actions by saying our thought come from a higher entity. Why would God (higher entity) create us only to micromanage us through thoughts he implants in our brain. Wouldn't he want to create us and sit back and see what happens?
Descartes says to not try to figure out the will of God. I think he says this in Meditations 5, but I'm not sure. I do not think he is trying to make up for any of his actions. Throughout the book all he talks about is his thoughts.
Steven Leckel
I am not sure about descartes idea about how ideas that come into us are from god and thus they are undoublty true. I think that we can only be sure of our existence and nothing else
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