 Proving God Through Pure Intellect in meditation 5 of the Meditations on First Philosophy.
Meditation 5 of the landmark philosophical essay, Meditations on First Philosophy comes in the midst of some heady and well thought out concepts of existence, God and the way we, as mankind relate to the universe. Of the six "meditations" or chapters of the entire work, meditation 5 is one that probably is the most cryptic and in need of the background of the previous ideas that Descartes presents.
This is especially true because the two concepts that dominate meditation 5 are the existence of material things and then a reconsideration of whether God exists in light of that reflection. It helps to have patiently considered the approach that Descartes is using leading up to meditation 5 because these are philosophical reflections, which could seem peculiar if not ridiculous to the modern mind.
In our modern worldview, few would stop and give thought to whether the existence of material things is actual or not as is discussed in meditation 5 of Descartes' long essay. That is because we have become more trusting of the senses and particularly of "proof" that comes from without such as the testimony of science or of the shared observation of many persons. Descartes does not allow such evidence to influence the development of his thoughts in any of the discussions leading up to meditation 5 of the Meditations on First Philosophy.
In the previous four meditations prior to Meditation 5, Descartes backs himself into a corner but it is one he intentionally is in and one he is skilled at navigating. By establishing early on that the senses are unreliable reporters of truth, Descartes systematically defines the intellect as the only reliable arbiter of knowledge, which of course, serves well the philosophical approach taken in meditation 5 of this long work. So when Descartes considers whether the material world exists, he is doing so from a conceptual point of view.
Descartes is not so irrational to think that if somehow he could philosophically disprove the existence of the material world in meditation 5, that is would somehow disappear. Rather his reflection is on the relationship between observed truth and realized truth that comes through intellectual activity. His use of the triangle as an illustration in Meditation 5 is superb because while a triangle can be observed, the pure concept of a triangle can only be understood intellectually. And yet both types of triangles really do exist even if one will always have its existence only in theory.
Meditation 5 is not the first reflection on God's existence that is in the meditations of First Philosophy. But like the discussion of the topic in meditation 3, the analysis should not be confused to be a theological one. It is a philosophical analysis in light of the total work that culminates in meditation 5 when Descartes once again reviews whether God exists in light of the triangle analogy and the other themes of meditation 5.
Perhaps it is good news that by the end of Meditation 5, Descartes does conclude that the existence of God can be supported and in fact, that the existence of God is philosophically necessary. meditation 5 is a valuable albeit unusual approach to what is otherwise a theological idea. But it is one worth considering for anyone who is seriously contemplating the concept, theologian and layperson alike.
We all can benefit from the kind of deeper thinking that can be found in meditation 5 and indeed throughout Meditations on First Philosophy. The experience of reviewing the important ideas Descartes discusses there is as good for the mind as it is for the soul.
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