- Published: December 14, 2021
- Updated: December 14, 2021
- University / College: Washington University in St. Louis
- Language: English
- Downloads: 47
The Nature and Existence of God
The 17th-century philosophy sought to understand the actions of God that proved his existence and will. For instance, Leibniz defended the existence of God and God’s will even in the face of resistance from other philosophers. However, these philosophies defined God based on his will and understanding.
The topic of the nature and existence of God focuses on the actions of God and his intentions. The acts of God are good and define his existence, and they result from his will. These acts are the effects of God’s will. As such, God makes good actions based on his understanding of what something good should be (Leibniz 53). It is these good actions that define God’s nature as good.
Given that God is good from his nature, he prohibits wrong actions. As such, God does not prohibit good actions because his nature is an indication that he is good. Instead, God prohibits wrong actions because they go against his nature (Leibniz 103). Early philosophers such as Leibniz held that actions do not become wrong because God forbids them, but his nature makes him forbid what is wrong (Coplestone 67). Based on his nature, God has managed to make the best of all possible worlds. For instance, he created life and living things as a result of his good intentions and nature. He used the simple ways to make life and all things that live and as such, he is said to have used the simplicity of ways in creation. His simplicity of ways is a sign of wisdom that he applied during creation (Descartes 107). As such, this simplicity of ways becomes part of God’s nature and an essential aspect of the topic touching on God and his nature. The analysis of the scarce means of creation can reveal the richness of effects that result from the God’s understanding.
The discussion of how God made the world and all that lives in it forms an essential aspect of the topic of God’s nature and existence. The idea is that since the things he made exist, then he exists and he existed before them (Leibniz 69). It costs God nothing to create since he made decrees through which things came into existence. Thus, discussing these decrees and how they reveal God’s nature and existence can also form an important aspect of the topic. In this case, the decrees will be discussed and their effects to prove God’s nature. Also, the discussion of the topic will involve highlighting the decrees that prove God as the origin of eternal truths (Falkenstein 37). Under the dogmas of meditations, the topic about God’s nature and existence focuses on whether there are errors in God’s works or not in a bid to prove that people’s impulses may lie but God does not lie.
The topic of God’s nature and existence also touches on the arguments about the external world. This discussion will entail the analysis of the possibility of God’s will in creating the external world and what exists in such worlds. In discussing the will of God, the focus of the topic will be on the categories of his will and moral evil as Leibniz points out (39). God’s general will seek to establish a perfect order in the world. His particular will entails the miracles.
In proving the existence of God, the topic focuses on possible world and ontological proof. Possible worlds are real and orderly and can only exist if God does exist (Descartes 63). Ontological proof focuses on the idea of God as a perfect being and the things that show that he does things perfectly. In essence, the topic will focus on God’s actions based on goodness as his nature, and the existence of the real and external world as proves of God’s existence.