Topic > The deceptive power of God - 955

In Meditations III, one of the six meditations contained in his book Meditation, Objections and Responses, René Descartes recognizes the existence of God. Descartes says: «In fact I only have to conclude that the simple fact that I exist and that there is in me the idea of ​​a most perfect being, that is, of God, demonstrates in the most evident way that God also exists".(28) Descartes believes that he did not come into existence alone , but that a superior being, God, must already exist and must have created Descartes. I agree with Descartes' reasoning about the existence of God. But then, as Descartes continues with his ideas in the fourth meditation, he begins to discuss how God is a perfect being. Descartes says, “To begin with, I recognize that it is impossible for God to deceive me, since deception or deception is always indicative of some imperfection.”(30) Deception is seen as an imperfection. And since God is a perfect being, deception is no part of Him. This is where I disagree with Descartes' knowledge and reason. I believe God has the power of deception and uses it. In this article I will argue that God is not the perfect being that Descartes claims Him to be since there are cases where God displays His deceptive tendencies. I will provide two examples of how God is deceptive. Descartes, however, made some points in his meditation that he believes strengthen his ideas about God not being a deceiver. With his ideas in mind, I will discuss one possible way Descartes might respond to my objection against his ideas. The first argument I will make is how God has deceived people into doing the things He wants them to do. Descartes states: “Consequently, deception is incompatible with God....... middle of paper...... However, it is not God's fault if our perception deceives us. He would say that when we see mirages, it is actually not God deceiving us, it is nature itself. If our perception of something is wrong, then it is nature's fault that we perceive it that way, not God's. In conclusion, Descartes' argument for a non-deceptive God may be valid. But based on my examples, I have shown that there are flaws in Descartes' ideas. My first example showing that God deceived Abraham into almost killing his son shows that God can deceive us for his own purposes, whether those purposes are good or not. My second example involving our perception also shows that God can deceive us, whether he intentionally deceives us or not. Overall, Descartes' argument is strong, but if he were to provide concrete examples for his ideas, then they would be stronger.