The Role Of God In Rene Descartes Meditations

The Role Of God In Rene Descartes Meditations In this essay I am going to argue that God plays a significant role in Renà © Descartes Meditations, as he argues for Gods existence using different arguments, however I find him to be incorrect in his conclusions, and I find he is not entitled to appeal to Gods existence in this way, and all of his arguments are either fallacious or unsound. In his meditations discuss his thoughts concerning the human mind body, true false, the essence and existence of material things and the real distinction between mind and body. As I previously said, God plays a significant role to Descartes Meditations, including the proof of Gods existence. Descartes goes through numerous proofs of Gods existence through-out his Meditations, starting in Meditation 3 and continuing onto the end. This is the first role God plays in Descartes system as it is like a building block, an essential part of the structure of the system, as he uses the idea of God (specifically a non-deceiving God) to prove conclusions and dispel any other doubts he may have. He dispels the evil-demon doubt through the proof that a benevolent God exists. He also uses God within the clear and distinct perception proof. In Meditation three Descartes states that there are three types of ideas: innate, factitious or adventitious. Innate ideas are ideas built into our minds from birth, factitious ideas are invented ideas we have produced from our imagination and adventitious ideas are from experience in the outside world. Descartes argues that God cannot be a factitious or adventitious idea and the idea of God must be built into our minds from birth: I did not derive it from the senses, nor did it ever arrive unexpectedly as the ideas of sensible things usually do when external objects impinge, or seem to impinge, on the sense organs. Nor was it fabricated by me, for it is clear that I can neither add to it nor subtract from it. Thus it follows that it is innate in me, just as the idea of myself is innate in meà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.This is the artisans trademark imprinted on his work. (Med 3, p42-43) Along with these three types of ideas, you have varieties of idea: substances (persisting particulars), and modes and accidents (properties of substances). Substances can be either finite or infinite substances. Here is his first argument for the existence of God, his causal argument. Here he implies that whatever is possessed by an effect must have been given it to by its cause. For example, a rock cannot be produced by anything with less formal reality (such as a property like a colour), or a pot of water is heated up until it boils, it must have been subjected to heat from some cause that had at least as much heat. Moreover, something that does not have as much heat would not be able to cause the water to boil, because it doesnt have the necessary reality to bring about the effect something cannot give what it does not have. Now, it is evident by the natural light of reason that there must be as much reality in an efficient and total cause as in the effect of that cause. For I ask: where could the effect get its reality from, apart from its cause? Something which is more perfect in other words, that which contains more reality in itself cannot be made from that which is less perfect. (Med 3, P35) Descartes second argumentative question concerning God was could one exist in the absence of God? By the third meditation the meditator has established he exists, and therefore this existence must have a cause. The only possible cause for existence has to be one of the following: from himself, having always been in existence, his parents, something less perfect than God or God. Firstly the cause cannot be from oneself, as he would have been created perfect; assuming to have been in existence always also does not help as what keeps him in existence? As a dependent being, there is a need to be sustained by another. It cannot be from parents, as this would lead to an infinite regress (who caused and maintains there existence?), and it cannot be caused by a being less perfect than God as the idea of perfection that exists cannot have originated from an imperfect being, therefore God is the cause, and God exists. Descartes discussed the ontological argument for Gods existence. The meditator states that the idea of God, the essence, has a necessary connection to the idea of existence. Take an example the connection between mountains and valleys; if there were no mountains, there wouldnt be any valleys, and all land would be flat. Descartes claimed it is impossible for us to conceive of existence without conceiving there is a God, just as it is impossible for us to conceive a valley without a mountain. As previously stated, the proofs of Gods existence played an essential role in Descartes system, as he had established that he was created by an all-powerful, non-deceiving God, Descartes could then place a great deal of trust in his cognitive abilities. Meditation Six gives a clear example of this in its discussion of the mind and of the body. In Meditation Three, Descartes idea of clear and distinct The key part to Descartes system however is the Clear and Distinct Rule: Everything that I perceive very clearly and distinctly is true. To prove that what we see clearly and distinctly to be true is essential to establish a foundation to build upon. He proves both that God exists through the use of Clear and Distinct perceptions, and he proves that clear and distinct perceptions are true because of the existence of God. This argument can be represented in the following structure: P1) If God exists, then he is no deceiver P2) If God is no deceiver, then all I clearly distinctly perceive will be true P3) God exists __________________ C1) All I clearly distinctly perceive is true P1) All I clearly distinctly perceive is true P2) I clearly distinctly perceive the idea of God P3) The idea of God is true _________________ C1) God exists These two arguments create the Cartesian Circle, from which the conclusion of one argument exists as a premise in the other, and vice versa. He begs the question here, assuming the conclusion he is arguing for in both arguments. Throughout the Meditations God play an important role for Descartes and his system, however I do not believe he is entitled to appeal to Gods existence in this way. All of Descartes arguments for the existence of God- the ontological argument, causal argument, and the trademark argument are not convincing alone. The use of God in his defining of clear and distinct perceptions also falls short. At the time of publication, there were many objections raised to some of his meditative conclusions and, understandably at the time to disprove or argue against the existence of God would be considered heresy by the Catholic Church, however the proofs for the existence of God Descartes argues I find unsound. Firstly the ontological argument for the existence of God is a priori proof, which is independent of experience, and states that if we can imagine a perfect being he must exist. God could not be perfect without existence as existence is stated as a property of perfection. So therefore a perfect being/God must exist. This argument commits a bare assertion fallacy. It does not give any backup premise to prove what it is stating and it relies on us just believing what it is saying. You cannot define or imagine a thing into existence. The ontological argument states that if we can imagine a perfect being he must exist, however it generalizes that all people will have the same the idea of a perfect being/God, however as different cultures have different ideas of God, even people within one culture will have different ideas of perfection and different ideas of a perfect God. Therefore either the complete plethora of Perfect Gods is true and exists, or Descartes argument is unsound. We also cannot guarantee that our human perception of perfection is, in fact perfect. Our own conceptions of perfection are through our subjective experience; therefore the ideas of perfection are an expansion of own thoughts and collective ideas. The causal argument for the existence of God appears in Meditation Three. It states that everything must have a cause, and it is impossible to continue backwards to infinity with causes (infinite regress), therefore there must have been an original first cause, one which wasnt conditioned by a previous cause, and such a cause is God. The causal argument is flawed in that if you allow one thing to exist without a cause, you contradict your own premise. To say then that the idea of an all-perfect God must come from an all-perfect cause can be argued against. We can take the idea of goodness, intelligence, and kindness and amplify it, similarly to how we reach the idea of mathematical infinity. The concept of spontaneous generation also argues against the causal principle, where we can imagine the idea of life emerging from a non-living and non-sentient basis. The trademark argument states that the idea of God is innate, and built into us from birth, as that is God leaving his trademark on us. I strongly disagree with this argument. The idea of God is not innate, it is indirectly an adventitious idea, and idea through experience. This experience however is provided through teaching and influence. The idea of God for all beings, at the time of Descartes specifically, were brought up religious and instilled with the idea of God. This is again reflected on the fact that there are different Gods from different cultures and civilizations. The Romans, the Greeks, the Vikings etc., all had different distinct Gods, the ideas of which were instilled to them again through teachings and influence.

European History Essay

The way the eastern civilization would live is how people dream of living today. The eastern peoples put others above themselves. The way the western civilization used to live is how we live today: caring about ourselves for the most part. Even though the eastern side of living is how most people wanted to live, there are some positive characteristics of the western side that are worth incorporating. A common problem today is that we don’t think. A trait of eastern culture is the being contemplative. There are countless problems that could be avoided if thought would have gone into the situation. Life is a strategy that is filled with decisions. It is inevitable that mistakes will be made, but there will be less if you think before you act. In life there are always consequences for your actions. What most people don’t realize is that there can be positive consequences. This is something that the western civilization honored; the rewards or the positive consequences of the life they lived. Having the good things in your life isn’t as rewarding as working for the grand prize. Towards the end of your life, what will you have that reflects what you work for? In the eastern civilization, working with less is held high in standards. As the years go by, people always want more and more but is it really necessary? For example, heated seats and electronic windows are nice in our vehicles but we don’t actually need them. The eastern peoples learned to work with what they were given, even if it was less than what they wanted. Technology is taking over the world. With this new interference with human life, the beautiful art of work will soon be forgotten. There are amazing things that humans can do as long as they work for it. The western civilization figured this out and put activity high on the list of standards. Life is short and there may be things that we miss if we don’t work to see what it has in store for us. Both the eastern and western civilization contain characteristics that would benefit the human race. A mixture of the two would be a perfect way to live. Placing others higher in value than yourself is a trait that isn’t common in the world today. Even though, putting others first is something great, you need to think about yourself too. You only have one life and one chance to make it the best. Do what makes you happy and you will see that others will come with you.

Importance of Political Socialization

There are many ways that our ideas are shaped and influenced as we grow up. This process by which we develop certain ways of thinking is called political socialization. There are three main influences which change and shape us being, the family, the mass media, and formal education. The family definitely has the greatest impact on us as we grow. This is primarily because ever since the beginning of childhood we are exposed to the ideas of our parents. Their ideas are the ideas that young children learn, and soon begin to form these ideas are their own. The saying that â€Å"You never get a second chance to make a first impression† holds true here in that this is what first the child is exposed to, and it is hard to get people to change from their original ideas of politics, or anything for that matter. In 1965 Jennings and Niemi selected a sample of high school seniors throughout the country and found that 58.9% of them had chosen the same party as their parents. Another influence on how people are shaped is the Mass Media. Today more and more people are spending more and more time watching television. The average grade school student spends more time watching tv than he or she does at school. The media has been called the â€Å"new parent† by some. However, the programs that would influence political opinion the most, such as the news, are rarely watched by the youth of today. The final major influence of people political socialization is their formal education or school. Countries have historically had government classes in their schools to â€Å"preach† the goodness of their particular type of government. For example, American children have been taught the virtues of capitalism and democracy for years. In Germany, during the Nazi era, children were taught how murders could be justified in certain situations. There are certain types of ways used to measure the public's opinion once they have been formed. There are usually samples that are performed instead of complete polls because it can save a lot of time. Scientific sampling is polling random people to form the general opinion of many people. In closing, it is evident by reading above that people today are influenced by the Mass Media, schools, and probably most importantly, families. Importance of Political Socialization There are many ways that our ideas are shaped and influenced as we grow up. This process by which we develop certain ways of thinking is called political socialization. There are three main influences which change and shape us being, the family, the mass media, and formal education. The family definitely has the greatest impact on us as we grow. This is primarily because ever since the beginning of childhood we are exposed to the ideas of our parents. Their ideas are the ideas that young children learn, and soon begin to form these ideas are their own. The saying that â€Å"You never get a second chance to make a first impression† holds true here in that this is what first the child is exposed to, and it is hard to get people to change from their original ideas of politics, or anything for that matter. In 1965 Jennings and Niemi selected a sample of high school seniors throughout the country and found that 58.9% of them had chosen the same party as their parents. Another influence on how people are shaped is the Mass Media. Today more and more people are spending more and more time watching television. The average grade school student spends more time watching tv than he or she does at school. The media has been called the â€Å"new parent† by some. However, the programs that would influence political opinion the most, such as the news, are rarely watched by the youth of today. The final major influence of people political socialization is their formal education or school. Countries have historically had government classes in their schools to â€Å"preach† the goodness of their particular type of government. For example, American children have been taught the virtues of capitalism and democracy for years. In Germany, during the Nazi era, children were taught how murders could be justified in certain situations. There are certain types of ways used to measure the public's opinion once they have been formed. There are usually samples that are performed instead of complete polls because it can save a lot of time. Scientific sampling is polling random people to form the general opinion of many people. In closing, it is evident by reading above that people today are influenced by the Mass Media, schools, and probably most importantly, families.

Habitat Conservation Plan to Save Endangered Species in San Bruno Mountain Free Essay Example, 1000 words

The establishment of the San Bruno Mountain Habitat Conservation Plan was surrounded by several controversies especially based on the involvement of many parties. The San Mateo County supervisor Bacciocco spearheaded the negotiation process by bringing the parties together. However due to the varied interest, the challenge was enormous. Before the negotiations, environmentalists had formed a committee that would see the proposed developments were halted. This committee was made up of the Loma Prieta, Committee for Green Foothills (CGF) and the National Audubon Society. Other interested parties comprised of the major developer, Vasitacion Associates who had brought their bulldozers ready for the project. On the other hand, the USFWS were interested in having the endangered species within the San Bruno Mountains protected. Despite the hurdles in reaching the agreement, it came into force. Only 10% of the habitat was approved for development, the rest was converted to city-owned parkland. Though the entire remaining zone is not all occupied by butterflies, it contains lupine and gorse, which are used by butterflies as food. The HCP provides for minimal disturbance to the butterflies by ensuring that grading and construction is restricted. We will write a custom essay sample on Habitat Conservation Plan to Save Endangered Species in San Bruno Mountain or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now Though the enhancement of the habitat is provided in the HCP, very little success has been evident. Under the implementation by the Thomas Reid associates, the HCP requires that additional research be implemented as well as monitoring be done. The organization is obliged to submit annual monitoring reports to the USFWS. However, the challenge arises from the non-specificity of the provision of the HCP in that it does not provide for the type of research that ought to be conducted neither does it provide for the specific enhancement strategies that ought to be developed. The implementation of the San Bruno HCP has faced successes and challenges alike. The initial agreement has been altered as a result of questions being raised concerning the ecological viability of the plan.