God,Time, and Certain Knowledge in Descartes' Philosophy

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Nayerehsadat Mirmousa
Department of Philosophy Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
10.48308/kj.2025.237356.1296
Abstract
In Descartes' epistemological system, God is the foundation and basis for the duration of knowledge and its certainty. He is not merely a transcendent and passive being but an active entity who continuously intervenes in the structure of the world, ensuring the continuity of phenomena and, as a result, the coherence of knowledge. The dependence of certainty on God confronts Descartes' epistemology with one of its most fundamental challenges, the "Cartesian Circle." Proving the existence of God is necessary to validate clear and distinct perceptions, while these very perceptions serve as the basis for proving God's existence. This article offers a way to resolve this circularity by linking Descartes' theory of time to the notion of continuous creation. Descartes does not believe in the intrinsic continuity between different moments. The continuity of time and the survival of each moment of the world are the results of God's constant action. According to this interpretation, Descartes' epistemological system is not separate from theology, and the validity and foundation of knowledge are tied to the existence and will of God.
Keywords
Cartesian circle
God
continuous creation
time
certain knowledge
Subjects
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  • Receive Date 09 January 2025
  • Revise Date 07 February 2025
  • Accept Date 11 February 2025