As demonstrações da existência de Deus na Terceira Meditação Cartesiana

Abstract

The central aim of this dissertation is to present an exposition of the causal proofs of the existence of God present in the third Meditation of Descartes. For this, I analyze the notions of idea, objective being, objective reality, perfection, the principle of causality, as well as other related concepts in the context of God's a posteriori proofs. I try to indicate that the success of the causal proofs of the third Meditation depends on the presupposition of certain Cartesian theses developed only in the fifth Meditation, concerning the possibility of direct access to the divine essence. Further, I suggest that the demonstrations of God's existence in the third Meditation may represent one single proof.