Descartes's principle "there must be as much reality in the cause as there is in the effect" was used to prove the existence of
A) his soul.
B) his body.
C) God.
D) the evil demon.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Descartes used this principle to argue for the existence of God. He claimed that since he has an innate idea of God as an infinite, perfect being, there must be a cause that corresponds to this idea, and this cause must have as much reality as the idea itself. Since Descartes cannot be the cause of this idea, he concluded that God must exist as the cause of the idea.

Descartes's Principle "There Must Be as Much Reality in the Cause