Essay about A Very Brief History on the Existence of God

The subsequent essay will provide a brief overview on the existence of God from Renà © Descartes through Immanuel Kant. First, section (1), examines Descartes’ proof for the existence of God. Section (2), explores G.W. Leibniz’s view on God’s existence in addition to his attempts to rectify the shortcomings of Descartes’ proofs. Before continuing, it is imperative to understand that both Descartes and Leibniz believed that the existence of God could be proved via reason. The remainder of the essay then examines two additional philosophers, David Hume in section (4) and Immanuel Kant in (5), who contend that God’s existence cannot be rationally proven. (1) Being a devout Catholic, Descartes undeniably believed in God. He makes this†¦show more content†¦Putting this in simple terms, the innate idea of God is like a stamp which says ‘Made by God’. Additionally, Descartes reasons that because he exists with an innate idea of God, God then must also exist. He explicitly states this: â€Å"I have no choice but to conclude that the mere fact of my existing is and of there being in me an idea of a most perfect being, that is God, demonstrates most evidently that God too exists† (34). In the Fifth Meditation, Descartes offers a second, but similar proof for God’s existence. Descartes begins by asserting that a triangle, even if it does not exist anywhere in the world â€Å"still has a certain determinate nature, essence, or form which is unchangeable and eternal† which is not fabricated and which does not depend on the mind (43). He then uses this idea as the basis for his second proof of God’s existence. Based upon the notion of a triangle, Descartes believes that â€Å"the existence of God ought to have †¦ some degree of certainty that truths of mathematics† have (44). For Descartes there is no less a â€Å"contradiction in conceiving a supremely perfect being who lacks existence than there is in conceiving a triangle whose interior angles do not sum to 180 °Ã¢â‚¬  (Oppy). Descartes again presumes (like he did for the proof in the Third Meditation) that because he has an idea of God, God must, therefore, exist. After es tablishing the second proof for God’s existence, Descartes then bases many things, includingShow MoreRelatedHawking s A Briefer History1377 Words   |  6 PagesSteven Hawking’s A Briefer History in Time tells a simplified story of the universe. Hawking’s starts out the book by going over the different type of cosmology that was held throughout history. He mentions the beliefs that Aristotle, Copernicus, Galileo and other notable individuals held about the universe. This discussion is used to segue into a brief description of the different theories, laws, and ideas concerning the universe held by people today. 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