Descartes' Trademark Argument
René Descartes' version of the ontological argument claiming that the idea of God (an infinite, perfect being) could not originate from a finite mind; therefore this idea must come from God itself, proving God's existence. The argument operates from effect (the idea) to cause (God).
Real World
A student who has never seen the ocean but possesses a vivid, detailed idea of its vastness might wonder where that idea came from — Descartes similarly asked how a finite human mind could generate the idea of infinite perfection without an infinite source.
Exam Focus
Distinguish the Trademark Argument from the Ontological Argument — one reasons from an innate idea (effect to cause), the other from definition alone.
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