Question

Read the excerpt below and answer the question.

It remained, then, to conclude that it was put into me by a nature truly more perfect than was I and possessing in itself all the perfections of what I could form an idea—in a word, by God . . . for if I had existed alone and independent of all other, so that I had of myself all this little whereby I participated in the Perfect Being, I should have been able to have in myself all those other qualities which I knew myself to lack. (Discourse on Method)

The best inference from the passage is that God must exist because otherwise Descartes, as an imperfect being, ________________________.

would not exist
would be God
would lack no advantageous qualities
would have no knowledge of the idea of perfection
The answer to this question is NOT B, I feel like it's D but I just want a second opinion

Answer 1

Definitely D.

When he said ''For if I had existed alone and independent of all other so that I had of myself all this little whereby I participated in the Perfect Being I should have been able to have in myself all those other qualities which I knew myself to lack.''He saying that if god didn't exist there is no way he would know that he was imperfect.

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

The answer is: would have no knowledge of the idea of perfection.

In this, Descartes´ famous proof of the existence of God, he makes the argument that, Descartes, being a man, that is to say, something that does not possess any of the qualities of perfection that God possesses, but being able to fathom an idea about God´s perfection, must mean that God not only exists, but that God himself instilled the idea of perfection in Descartes´s imperfect mind, for otherwise, an imperfect mind, by its imperfect nature, could not think something greater than itself.