Test answers and summary of all concepts covered in class
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Course
Critical thinking 2 (YKC200)
Institution
Seneca College Of Applied Arts And Technology (
)
The documents include test answers to all the exams and assignments. The answers include a summary of all points that were highlighted by the professor.
2.Descartes proves the existence of God when he begins to think about the existence of
objects external to him. He tries to separate correct things from the incorrect ones (Live
lecture, Week 2). For this, he inquires the existence of something external, besides him. He
states that there exist three distinct types of ideas. The first type is of innate ideas, which are
the pictures in our consciousness. For example, the idea that he is a thinking thing is innate.
He can’t deny this idea because then he’ll be doubting what he’s doubting, hence, performing
self-contradiction (Live lecture, Week 2). Secondly, there are the adventitious ideas that
come from outside, as they are the perceptions from the mind. For instance, the idea of wax
given by Descartes. The third type is of ideas that are made by oneself by the combination of
different perceptions in the mind. [Meditation 3, para 4]
He tends to put his ideas into these categories, yet he’s unsure of their origin. Because of
which, he starts to think of an external power when he inquires about the causes of ideas that
come from outside him. He thinks of God as this external power, which he considers to be of
infinite perfection. He states that he has not experienced infinite perfection. So, he infers that
he himself has made up this idea. However, this doesn’t seem possible to him because he is a
finite being and can only experience finite things (Live lecture, Week 2). He asks whether he
himself has come up with this idea or not. Furthermore, he is conscious that his knowledge is
being increased to a great extent. And if this increase leads to infinity, it is possible for him to
acquire all the perfections as the deity [Meditation 3, para 22]. Nevertheless, this would not
happen. Because of which, he would not be able to approach the idea of God with perfection.
As a result of this, the idea of God is something that is not supposed to be derived from
himself. He feels less convinced to attribute the origin of this idea to himself, considering the
infinite perfection of God. Hence, he concludes that God exists. And, God has planted this
idea in his mind because he is not capable of creating it, as he has never experienced infinite
things (Live lecture, Week 2). He states that he has learned the existence of two things: the
mind, that he is a thinking thing and now, the existence of infinite perfection, God. He
emphasizes that these things exist necessarily. And, that God exists, as it is a clear and
distinct understanding. He remarks that these ideas are innate.
The existence of God has influenced his epistemological theory, as he now understands
clearly that God wouldn’t allow him to be deceived by his perceptions. This is because God
is a perfectly good, infinite being. Hence, the things that he perceives correspond to what they
look like and they actually exist because God is not deceiving him through his perceptions.
Now that he thinks God exists, his metaphysical worldview can be distinguished into two
aspects of realities, that both material and immaterial things exist. Immaterial things comprise
of the thinking thing and God.
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