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Aquinas argues that the fact that man can perceive himself to be true serves as a validation for God's existence; however this is dissimilar to Descartes impressions of the Mediator who, according to the philosopher, is capable of mistaking that which is certain and uncertain.
It is important to remember to distinguish fact from fiction; will from intellect. In this presentation I believe that Aquinas and Anselm intermingled the two, suggesting that intellect and will are more similar than different. This clearly offers a different interpretation of what is certain and uncertain as Descartes might argue that the intellect is certain but the will or mind may interpret that which is certain incorrectly.
References
Descartes, Rene. The philosophical writings of Descartes, Vol. II. Trans. John Cottingham, Robert Stoothoff, and Dugald Murdoch. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press: 1984.
Egan, David. SparkNote on Meditations...
3, May 2007 http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/meditations.
S. This is surprisingly similar to Descartes' meditations suggesting the human mind is impossible to understand fully.
D. While the philosopher again confirms a distinction between the mind and intellect as Descartes might, he does not provide physical evidence that God exists, only suggests that some "form" of intellect must direct everything in nature.
S. This is very similar to Descartes' fourth meditation suggesting one can only truly know himself, but cannot be certain of that which he sees or perceives around him; this alone does not prove the existence of God, but only that man exists.
Augustine's reliance on the idea of truth arising from clear perception aligns with the idea presented by Descartes' that all clear and distinct perceptions are certain, including one's perception of self and hence God (Egan 4).
References
Descartes, Rene. The philosophical writings of Descartes, Vol. II. Trans. John Cottingham, Robert Stoothoff, and Dugald Murdoch. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press: 1984.
Egan, David. SparkNote on Meditations on First Philosophy. 3, May 2007 http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/meditations.
S. This is surprisingly similar to Descartes' meditations suggesting the human mind is impossible to understand fully.
D. While the philosopher again confirms a distinction between the mind and intellect as Descartes might, he does not provide physical evidence that God exists, only suggests that some "form" of intellect must direct everything in nature.
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