| Soul: Some Nature which Really is more | | | | to God. There can be no imperfection in Him. |
| Perfect than Myself | | | | Doubt, inconstancy, sadness, anger, hatred - |
| | | | these are not the attributes of God, since |
| The French philosopher René Descartes' | | | | they are qualities whose absence would make |
| search for an oasis of faith through the | | | | us happier. That is, they are imperfect |
| desert of doubt began with Cogito, ergo sum. | | | | qualities, the badge of humanity and not of |
| I think therefore I am. "My very doubt proves | | | | divinity. God is perfect, which means |
| my existence". Otherwise who will be the | | | | infinite, eternal, immutable, independent, |
| doubter? Doubt, in itself cannot exist. | | | | omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, divine. |
| | | | |
| And so skepticism leads to one certainty. I | | | | This fact of existence of a perfect God, |
| am. | | | | asserts Descartes, "equals and even surpasses |
| | | | in certitude the demonstrated fact of |
| In other words, I am a thinking thing, or a | | | | geometry." God is the perfection that leads |
| Mind. I may doubt that I am a body or that | | | | our imperfect footsteps instinctively towards |
| there is a material world in which I live. | | | | the light. This, then, is Descartes' triune |
| But I cannot doubt away my doubt or the | | | | picture of humanity - a mechanical body, a |
| existence of thought. "Hence I know that I am | | | | living soul within and the spirit of God |
| a substance whose entire nature it is to | | | | above, guiding and sustaining us all. |
| think and for whose existence there is no | | | | |
| need of any place, nor does it depend on any | | | | Descartes suffered from weak lungs. Queen |
| material thing; so that this "me", that is to | | | | Christina of Sweden wanted him to be her |
| say, the soul by which I am that I am, is | | | | teacher in philosophy. Despite his |
| entirely distinct from my body and is even | | | | reluctance, she succeeded in coaxing him to |
| more easy to know than is the latter; and | | | | come to Stockholm. Descartes had not only the |
| even if the body were not, the soul would not | | | | severity of the Swedish climate to contend |
| cease to be what it is." | | | | with but also the stubbornness of Christina's |
| | | | will who, believing her mind to be most |
| And thus, by the simple process of | | | | receptive to philosophy in the early hours of |
| questioning everything, including the | | | | the morning, insisted upon his arrival at the |
| existence of the body, Descartes succeeds (at | | | | palace everyday before sunup. He was able to |
| least to his own satisfaction) in | | | | stand this sort of wintry climate only for a |
| establishing one thing- the existence of the | | | | few weeks and contracted pneumonia. |
| soul. | | | | |
| | | | Feb 11, 1650, Descartes opened his eyes, |
| He next proceeds to establish the existence | | | | "What time is it?" he asked in a voice |
| of God. "Whatever I conceive very clearly and | | | | scarcely audible. |
| distinctly," asserts Descartes, "is true". | | | | |
| Bearing this in mind and reflecting on the | | | | "Four o'clock in the morning." |
| fact that I am assailed with doubt, I realize | | | | |
| that my existence is not quite perfect. "For | | | | He makes an effort to rise. "Time to get up. |
| I see clearly that it is a greater perfection | | | | The queen is waiting". And then in a whisper, |
| to know than to doubt". But whence have I | | | | as he falls back, "Time for the soul to get |
| learnt to think of anything more perfect than | | | | up." |
| myself? Obviously from some nature which | | | | |
| really is more perfect than myself - a nature | | | | "I am a living soul", he had said, "in quest |
| which has within itself all the perfection of | | | | of Truth". And now he was rising to meet |
| which I can form an idea - in a word, God. | | | | Truth face to face. |
| Only that which is perfect can be attributed | | | | |