ARU Development of Empiricism Paper
ANSWER
Topic: Metaphysics and the Presence of God
René Descartes, an early modern thinker (1596–1655)
Descartes was a French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist renowned for his seminal contributions to epistemology and metaphysics. He investigated the existence of God in his meditations, particularly in the Third Meditation.
Position and arguments of Descartes: Descartes’ famous adage “Cogito, ergo sum” (I think, therefore I am) serves as the foundation of his skepticism. He started by casting doubt on everything he could to establish undeniable knowledge. However, he understood there had to be a thinking self, even when uncertain. He then advanced several points to support his case for God’s existence:
The Causal Argument: According to Descartes, he believed God to be an infinitely flawless being. He asserted that the idea’s origin must be at least as good as its result. Given that he is a finite entity and hence cannot be the source of such an idea, God, who is flawless, must have done so.
Descartes also made a case for the presence of God using the ontological argument. He made the case that God’s existence is a property of God. In other words, God’s essence cannot exist without being. Because the concept of God entails existence, if we have a conception of God, God must exist.
Response and Developments in the Eighteenth Century: Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) and David Hume (1711–1776), two major philosophers, reacted to Descartes’ claims regarding the presence of God.
Hume was critical of rationalistic justifications for the presence of God. He claimed that Descartes’ causal and ontological arguments were defective because they were predicated on false notions of causality and the nature of ideas. Hume maintained that we cannot conclude the existence of God from merely intellectual or philosophical premises.
Immanuel Kant attempted to harmonize reason and empiricism in his “Kant’s Synthesis.” Despite acknowledging the flaws in Descartes’ arguments, he held that rational application could prove God’s existence. In order to provide a foundation for moral obligations, Kant maintained that the existence of God must be accepted as a postulate of morality.
Conclusion on Modern Developments: From Descartes to Hume and Kant, the metaphysical argument concerning the existence of God has undergone tremendous development. Hume’s empiricism and skepticism exposed the limitations of pure reason in establishing the existence of God, challenging Descartes’ rationalistic approach. On the other hand, Kant made the existence of God a moral presupposition to close the gap between reason and experience.
These philosophical stances are still debated in contemporary discussions on God’s existence. While some philosophers embrace an atheistic stance, others investigate other arguments like the cosmological or teleological ones. The controversy remains a key topic in metaphysics and philosophy of religion, with numerous modern philosophers presenting fresh perspectives and criticisms.
QUESTION
Description
Select a topic in Metaphysics (e.g. the existence of God, the mind/soul, causality) Epistemology (the source of our knowledge), or Politics (political origins). Explain an earlier modern thinker’s position and arguments with respect to that topic (early to late 17th century, e.g. Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Hobbes, Locke, Berkeley). Discuss and evaluate 18th Century response to and developments of this topic (Hume, Kant, or Hegel). Critically evaluate the two thinkers and draw a conclusion about modern developments on your topic.
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