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Descartes: Fundamental Source Of Human Error

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When addressing what Descartes believes to be the fundamental source of human error it is first important to clarify what Descartes insists is not the source of human error. Right at the start of his fourth meditation Descartes specifies that God cannot be the source of error since that would require deception. Since deception is a form of imperfection God cannot deceive us for he is perfect (AT 53). Since God is not the source of error, and all of our abilities are given to us by God who cannot deceive us then our ability to make judgement also cannot be the source of error when used properly (AT 54). This means that since it cannot be God or the faculties given to us by God as the source of error, then it must be something within us, something related to our finite nature, distinct …show more content…

To this Descartes turns to our faculty of knowledge and choice, or our intellect and our will (AT 56). According to Descartes, the intellect allows us to perceive ideas but it cannot make judgements, without judgement it cannot alone be the source of human error. Even with a limited intellect, not knowing is merely lacking something which is not the same as making a mistake (AT 56). The will on the other hand is limitless. As Descartes pointed out, there is no greater will than what his own will is capable of, for it is through our infinite will that we are most like God (AT 57). Though there are times when we can be indifferent, Descartes sees this as the inability to see what is true and right in a given situation not as a weakness of our will (AT 58). Since the will, also given from God and is unlimited so it also cannot be the source of error (AT 57). The important thing to note about the intellect and the will is that though they cannot independently be the source of error, when looked at together one can find the source of error in the relationship between the unlimited will and limited

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