FREE ESSAY ON LOCKE AND DECARTES

LOCKE AND DECARTES

In comparing the argument for the existence of God there are two views, Decartes and
Locke. Decartes believes there is innate knowledge that everybody already has a perfect
being acquired knowledge. Locke believes that all ideas come from experience. I believe
truth lies between both of these theories.
It only remains for me to examine how I received this idea from God. For I did not
acquire it from the senses; it has never come to me unexpectedly, as usually happens with
the ideas of things that are perceivable by the senses, when these things present
themselves to the external sense organs-or seem to do so. And it was not invented by me
either; for I am plainly unable either to take away anything from it or to add anything
to it. The only remaining alternative is that it is innate in me, just as the idea of
myself is innate in me.(pg255 W.p.) Decartes is telling us we know everything when we are
born, the idea was already there. Decartes is saying God established a relationship with
the humans to help them. Decartes theory shows God as eternal, infinite, immutable,
omniscient, omnipotent, and a creator.
Every man being conscious to himself that he thinks, and that which his mind is employed
about while thinking, being the ideas that there are, it is past doubt that men have in
their minds several ideas, such as those expressed by the words whiteness, hardness,
sweetness, thinking, motion, man elephant, army, drunkenness and others, it is in the
first place to be inquired: How he comes by them? Let us suppose the mind to be, as we
say, white paper, void of all characters, without any ideas. How comes it to be
furnished? When has it all the materials of reason and knowledge? To this I answer, in
one word, from experience. In that all our knowledge is founded, and external sensible
objects, or about the internal operations of our minds perceived the materials of
thinking.(pg31W.P.) Locke is telling us all ideas come from experience. Locke believes
God could come from thinking. Locke explains you are born with white paper empty with
content but have operations that go on in the mind. By filling a gap in the curiosities
in people, we believe God created everything. Lockes theory shows the minds power to
interpertate God as perception, thinking, acting, believing, reasoning, willing, and
knowing.
I feel that both Decartes and Locke theories contribute equally. In Decartes claim of
innate knowledge it is possible for a theory of reincarnation. It is evident that if
knowledge exists at the start of your life, it could exist before, during, and in after
life. This proves an innate knowledge. I also believe in Lockes theory because we learn
about God throughout our lives adding to the knowledge. This is true since science
contributes adding more ideas through technology to discover new advanced knowledge.
Through this ability we learn about the starting of the world and facts further back in
history. In conclusion I feel both Decartes and Locke have both contributed to the theory
of God equally.