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Fifth Meditation Proof for God’s Existence (AT 65-68)
Principle of predication:
Whatever I clearly and distinctly perceive to belong to the true and immutable nature of a
thing may be predicated with certainty of that thing and is true of it.
Application to geometry:
T1. My idea of a triangle represents a true and immutable nature.
T2. I clearly and distinctly perceive that it belongs to the true and immutable nature of a
triangle to have the sum of its interior angles equal to two right angles.
T3. Therefore, I may predicate with certainty of a triangle that the sum of its interior
angles is equal to two right angles, and it is true of a triangle that the sum of its interior
angles is equal to two right angles.
Application to God’s existence:
G1. My idea of God represents to me a true and immutable nature, that of a supremely
perfect being.
G2. Every perfection belongs to the nature of a supremely perfect being.
G3. Necessary existence is a perfection.
G4. Therefore, I clearly and distinctly perceive that it belongs to the true and immutable
nature of God to exist necessarily.
G5. Therefore, I may predicate with certainty of God that he exists necessarily and it is
true that God necessarily exists.