Assess whether Descartes succeeds in establishing the existence of God
Assess whether Descartes succeeds in establishing the existence of God.
Descartes’ Trademark Argument appears in Mediations 3 and provides one of his arguments for the existence of God in order to allow for clear and distinct ideas. Although at the time of The Meditations Descartes’ ideas would have been seen as genius and somewhat revolutionary we can now, in light of modern day though, come to see the errors in a previously well regarded piece of philosophy. As a result of modern readings and criticism of his work I shall continue to argue the failure of Descartes’ attempt to prove the existence of God through the Trademark Argument.
In order for Descartes to gain foundational knowledge he claims he must gain these truths through clear and distinct ideas however before doing so he must address the problems surrounding the security of such a claims. In order to enforce trust into the concept of clear and distinct ideas Descartes seeks refuge in an omnipotent God who can secure a reliability of Descartes’ clear and distinct ideas and protect them from the possibility of the deceiving demon. Descartes’ seeks to prove the existence of God through the Trademark Argument as to allow for the use of clear and distinct ideas as foundational.