by Larry Lounsbury

Created on: June 18, 2009

Rene Descartres attempted to divide existence

Cartesian dualism

Rene Descartres attempted to divide existence into two completely distinct, separate, independent , unique substances. His Cartesian dualism explained the conviction that the human being is a union of mind(soul) and body, thus proving Gods existence "...at least in one mind (his own) and God exist..." (Soccio, 2001, p. 287). The mind was the incorporeal substance operating under the laws of reason, while the body was the corporeal substance operating under the laws of physics, falling under the rule of cause and effect.

Descartes definition of, "Cogito, ergo sum", meaning I think, therefore I am , was defined in his theory of duality under laws of reason and laws of physic. "...Descartes argues that we identify and know everything-including bodily and material things-through the mind. He grounds all knowledge in mental states, in awareness. Thus, the foundation of Descartes' philosophy and, to a considerable extent, of the modern worldview is the thinking of self. Although Descartres was a rationalist, the thrust of the cogito is not reasoning but self awareness..."(Soccio, 2001, p.282). The meaning of his "Cogito, ergo sum" became a conclusion to the Question of his own existence. "...If you say, "I doubt that I exist, "haven't you in fact proved that you exist...?" (Palmer, 2001, p. 162).

He felt that to prove Gods existences he must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that "...at least in one mind (his own) and God exist..." (Soccio, 2001, p. 287). The method he used was through a type of radical dualism that inferred God's existence. Through data that he could deduce logically through a series of arguments called Cartesian philosophical arguments, he became convinced that God existed. The first argument can be stated as "I doubt, therefore I exist, and the second argument is, I doubt, therefore God exists..." (Palmer, 2001, p.165). By proving God's existence, the premise that Demons could distort math and logic could be proven false because, "...My idea of perfection could only be caused in me by some-thing perfect.(nothing can be more perfect than its cause, and nothing in my actual experience is perfect enough to cause the idea of perfection in my mind)...therefore a perfect being (God) exist..." (Palmer, 2001, 165).

If Descartes argument was valid, it serves to cancel out the premise of an evil deceiver, because he believed "...a perfect, omnipotent, omni benevolent

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