Pascal, Descartes and God

Analytical Essay # 116286

Philosophy > Religion

A discussion on why Blaise Pascal, the Christian apologist, criticizes Descartes' use of God.

864 words () | 6 sources | MLA | 2009 | United States

Published on: Sep 09, 2009

Paper Summary:

This paper looks at how, by using the method of doubt, Descartes claims to have proven with deductive clarity and distinctness that God exists. In particular, the paper examines how the deductive, scientific nature of Descartes' proof of God's existence seems to be the primary target of Pascal's criticism. The paper concludes that there is no contradiction in Pascal's being a Christian apologist and criticizing Descartes for including God in the "Meditations" and that Pascal's particular theology holds that God is too profound to be proven.

From the Paper:

"Perhaps it is true that Descartes would have been willing to dispense with God, if he had not needed to appeal to the church in order for his work to be accepted. The first part of Pascal's criticism is fair in that sense, but because of the difficulty in confirming the statement, it is not an especially forceful criticism. The second part of the criticism, when Pascal writes that Descartes "had to make Him give a [finger snap] to set the world in motion," is not only an unfair criticism but is mischaracterizes Descartes' treatment of God. Nowhere in the Meditations does Descartes posit a finger snap or any other divine action as the force setting the world in motion. In fact, this level of cosmology was well beyond Descartes' intended scope."

Sample of Sources Used:

"Blaise Pascal." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 16 May 2006, 11:55 UTC. 16 May 2006, 21:08 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Blaise_Pascal&oldid=53492422>.
Descartes, Renee. Meditations on First Philosophy. John Cottingham, trans. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996.
"Ontological argument." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 7 May 2006, 21:49 UTC. 16 May 2006, 21:10 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ontological_argument&oldid=52040149>.
Pascal, Blaise. Pensees. W.F. Trotter, trans. Grand Rapids: Christian Classics Ethereal Library, 2002.
"Pascal's Wager." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 15 May 2006, 23:43 UTC. 16 May 2006, 21:08 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pascal%27s_Wager&oldid=53414278>.