Descartes

From Descartes' perspective, nature is a representation

of God; therefore, God must intrinsically exist, inasmuch as he, too, is a product of His own creation. Descartes was

one of many philosophers who fully supported this argument

in support of God's existence, contending that the external

world is the ruling force behind the presence of all beings. Descartes' assertions, as portrayed within the literary

boundaries of Meditations on First Philosophy, were founded

not in cosmological or ontological arguments but rather in

teleological debate, inasmuch as the philosopher believed

that there has to be an omnipotent entity responsible for

all the purpose and order that is found within natural

existence and, thereby, stimulating a sense of wonder about

the world.

One of the primary reasons why Meditation III brings

forth such a sense of wonder is because Descartes'

philosophical writings followed a very distinctive trail,

one that pursued a path of purity and sincerity. He

believed deeply in the value of ethics as it related to

humans within the natural world, and his concept of forming

an adequate ethical code was thought to be the only way in

which people could truly base their value system. Within

this natural world of which he spoke, Descartes theorized

that knowledge was the ultimate controller of the

environment, thus supporting the teleological argument as

proof of God. He persevered and postulated as to how he

could at last seal the overwhelming gap that existed between

thought and action. It was through his writings that

Descartes exercised the possibility that all thought and

action are interconnected, bringing to mind the view of

science and how it undoubtedly demonstrated the same

evidence.

Characteristic of humanity's constant quest for the

concept of God's existence, the journey of understanding has

come to represent myriad things to myriad people, ultimately

rendering any universal explanation virtually impossible. The problem with such sought-after meaning is attempting to

successfully pinpoint a single yet comprehensive connotation

to its concept; however, this cannot be achieved as long as

any two individuals harbor decidedly different

interpretations. "I shall now close my eyes, I shall stop

my ears, I shall call away all my senses, I shall efface

even from my thoughts all the images of corporeal things, or

at least (for that is hardly possible) I shall esteem them

as vain and false; and thus holding converse only with

myself and considering my own nature, I shall try little by

little to reach a better knowledge of and a more familiar

acquaintanceship with myself" (Descartes PG).

Inasmuch as Descartes provides a naturalistic theory

for God's existence, which is based upon human nature's

philosophical reasoning, this form of mitigated conviction

is what essentially supports his stance on God's existence

through teleology. When discussing alternate restriction on

philosophical position, it is important to consider the

fundamental basis of Descartes' principles as a means by

which to ascertain a clear and concise impression of the

philosopher's intent. Indeed, it can readily be argued that

Descartes held a strong belief in universal infiltration of

one's existence; however, it was also quite obvious that he

parted ways with myriad other theorists when it came to the

issues of proof of God by any other explanation than

teleology.

Once an individual realizes that thoughts can connect

form as well as ideas and that everything in the universe is

vibrating energy, then one is able to grasp the rational

concept that God truly does exist. "I ought in no wise to

doubt the truth of such matters, if, after having called up

all my senses, my memory, and my understanding, to examine

them, nothing is brought to evidence by any one of them

which is repugnant to what is set forth by the others. For

because God is in no wise a deceiver, it follows that I am

not deceived in this" (Descartes PG). With this internal

insight, one can better attune to the natural balance of

which all entities are a part, striving to bring a sense of

balance and harmony within. All of this is readily

accomplished by focusing upon what one wants to envision, as

well

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