Rene Descartes 1596-1650 Rene Descartes 1596-1650

God guarantees the truth of of all clear and distinct ideas:G God’s non-deceiving nature also guarantees the truth of all clear and distinctideas:1. Otherwise, God would be a deceiver, if there were a clear and distinctidea that was false, since the mind cannot help but believe them to betrue.2. Thus, clear and distinct ideas must be true on pain of contradiction.3. This also implies that knowledge of God’s existence is required forhaving any absolutely certain knowledge. Thus, atheists, who areignorant of God’s existence, cannot have absolutely certain knowledgeof any kind, including scientific knowledge.117