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God's Existence

In: Philosophy and Psychology

Submitted By sheelcr7
Words 310
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Term Paper Position Defense Sheel Patel

Question: Analyze and evaluate the two proofs of God’s existence that Descartes provides. Which is more successful and more relevant?

Plausible alternative answers: a) Apparently, Descartes had identified more than one way to prove God’s existence. b) The existence of God is a very solid topic to debate on and to be completely sure and convincing, Descartes gives to different proofs of the existence of God.

Arguments in favor of each answer: a) He may have found out the second way of God’s existence by thinking about his own existence and him being an imperfect being. b) Descartes did not want to be questioned about his views as there was or is no guaranteed proof of God’s existence.

Possible objections to the arguments: a) He cannot give the proof of God’s existence because he would have known that he took birth from his mother’s womb and was not created by God. He had to have knowledge of the basic science behind it. b) Descartes could have given one, solid and an unquestionable argument for God’s existence and not two loose questionable proofs.

Possible replies to the objections: a) Earlier, Descartes provided doubts for his existence itself. Therefore, he could not have completely known that he was not made by God and that there was science involved in his birth. b) Descartes thought of them to be solid and he was not questioned on his proofs. Therefore, he felt more confident providing more than one argument, which made his argument and opinion stronger.

Thesis intended to defend:
Descartes did not intend to find more than one proof of God’s existence. However, he did find another proof in the process of answering his philosophical questions. The two proofs are entirely different in context and cannot be linked to one another. This makes his argument stronger.

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