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YouTube

René Descartes - Meditation - A Cosmological Proof of God's Existence

Jeffrey Kaplan via YouTube

Overview

Explore Rene Descartes' third Meditation on First Philosophy in this 44-minute video lecture, part of an introduction to philosophy course. Delve into Descartes' cosmological proof for God's existence, which begins with his concept of an all-perfect being. Examine the argument that only a creature with infinite formal reality could create an idea with infinite objective reality, leading to the conclusion that God must exist. Follow the lecture's structure, covering topics such as the veil of perception, ideas and objects, mental images, degrees of reality, and objective reality. Engage with a quiz and controversial applications of the concept. For a comprehensive understanding, consider watching the accompanying videos on the first and second meditations, as well as an explanation of the difference between arguments and conclusions.

Syllabus

Intro
Recap
The Veil
Cosmological Proof
Ideas and Objects
Mental Images
Degrees of Reality
Objective Reality
Quiz
Level of Objective Reality
Summary
Controversial Application

Taught by

Jeffrey Kaplan

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