Descartes Ontological Argument For The Existence Of God

Section 6 Matthew Shields Word Count: 10/30/2014 Descartes’ Ontological Argument for the Existence of God The Ontological Argument for the existence of God is an a priori argument that aims to demonstrate that God’s real-world existence follows necessarily from the concept of God. In Meditation V of Discourse on Methods and Meditations on First Philosophy, Descartes presents his version of the Ontological Argument for the existence of God. In this essay, I will argue that this argument fails because necessary existence for a concept does not entail its real world existence. Descartes argument for the existence of God relies on two key assertions: 1. His understanding of God as an infinite, independent being. 2. His claim that existence is a perfection. In Meditation III, Descartes clarifies his understanding of God to be â€Å"a substance that is infinite, eternal, immutable, independent, supremely intelligent, supremely powerful, and which created both myself and everything else (if anything else there be) that exists.† It is important to note that in speaking of God as infinite, Descartes seems to mean that God is infinitely perfect. He asserts â€Å"God, I take to be actually infinite, so that nothing can be added to his perfection.† (p. 32) Descartes understands God as a uniquely infinite and independent entity that exists by its own nature. By contrast, all other entities are finite and contingent beings that must depend on another entity for their existence. ThisShow MoreRelatedThe Ontological Argument For The Existence Of God1509 Words   |  7 Pages Descartes’ ontological argument is an echo of the original ontological argument for the existence of God as proposed by St. Anselm in the 11th century. 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