Descartes Third Meditation

Meditation III

In Descartes Third Meditation, he establishes arguments to prove the existence of God. Descartes believes in "Cogito Ergo Sum" this means I think therefore I am. The "I" in this sentence means the soul. Descartes believes the existence of the mind is better known than the existence of the body. If my soul thinks then I exist. The Cogito proves the existence of self or the mind; this is not the same for the theory of God. Descartes has two arguments in the Third meditation. The arguments are the cause of his idea of God and the cause of his existence now.

In the third meditation Descartes uses his existence as an example to find out whether God exist. Descartes explanation is whatever he perceived clear and distinct is true. The idea of the existence of God could have been caused by something out side of himself. Something had to put the idea of God in his mind for him to think about the existence of God. Descartes says, "I must examine whether there is a God, and, if there is, whether he can be a deceiver. Descartes has to prove that God exists and that he is no deceiver.

Descartes then explains that the idea of God is the idea of a perfect or Supreme Being. A perfect being could have set this idea in our minds. He discovers that a perfect thing exists and that perfect being is defined