Descartes

Reading Lewis over the passed two weeks and especially reading Mere Christianity, I was distinctly reminded of and earlier Christian philosopher, Rene Descartes. Descartes was a French mathematician an philosopher who began the movement known as rationalism, where reason is taken as the final authority above experience. While Lewis and Descartes differ in many regards I could not help but be struck by the similarities in their methods and in their final arrival in the existence of an omnipotent God.

I tend to think that Lewis, as a highly educated member of academia and student of the classics, would have encountered Descartes and built off of some of the latter's ideas. Both employ a very tried and true philosophical method of presenting their argument backed up with facts, then following that by entertaining possible counterarguments and refuting them, and then moving onto the next portion of the argument. This is a method that makes a lot of sense to my mind and it has the advantage of allowing two parties in conflict to determine the point of dispute and, if that dispute cannot be resolved between them, to go no further in arguing points which are dependent upon that one. So often we find disputes where the true point of disagreement lies much earlier than the matters which are actually being discussed. Both Lewis and Descartes avoid this by beginning at the very basic assumption and building up there argument from there entertaining the earliest objections, rather than starting in the middle and simply thrusting their view on you which you disagree with but cannot find the precise point on which you disagree because it simply has not been brought up.

The piece of Descartes that I was most distinctly reminded of was the the Third Meditation: Of God that he Exists. Here Descartes establishes the existence of a god base on reason, using the truths he has already accepted, that of his own existence, and that of his capacity to think. Descartes logic is complicated and difficult to follow, but it flew in the face of many of the later thinkers of the Enlightenment, who felt theism was simply for the ignorant rabble and not for the reasoning and rational academics.

Lewis I feel continues this tradition of Christian apologetics, defending Christianity as a logically and rationally reasoned lifestyle. Thankfully for us Lewis is much easier to follow and understand than Descartes his predecessor. Lewis also abandons the philosophy of total rationalism which Descartes adhered too, and this allows Lewis to much more simply present his case, as he is no longer limited simply to logic but can use examples of the reality which we all experience.

I guess in the end I wanted to present the connections between these two great thinkers. Both laid down ground breaking ideas defending Christianity those who would deride it as a blind and unintelligent faith. It heartens me to see the foundations of a rational defense for our faith laid down by those that have gone before us, so that we can use them in the process of finding and strengthening our own. It also excites me to think of who the next great Christian thinker and apologetic may be.

If you wish to read Descartes Third Meditation you can find it here.