Rene Descartes

Asking from the truth of Cogito as the basis of knowledge, this paper tries to analyze all possible answers in Descartes’ philosophy. Inductively, four possible answers are open to consideration: either Cogito is true 1) based on argumentation, 2) because it is clear and distinct, 3) because of being innate, or, lastly, 4) because of intuition. All of these explanations either entail accepting some prior knowledge to Cogito or fall in a vicious circle. A proper way to explain Cogito’s truth is a new perspective to the meaning of intuition in Descartes’ philosophy. Through this perspective Cogito is a presential experience. Lack of any gap, separation, and disjunction in this presential experience is the reason for the truth of Cogito because this lack is the lack of error’s cause.

The purposefulness of divine actions is an important religious issue among thinkers. Belief in God's knowledge, wisdom, power, and justice requires the purposefulness of God's actions. This research is based on Rene Descartes' view on the answer to the question of determining the purposefulness of divine actions, which has been carried out through a descriptive-analytical method. In findings chapter, it explains Descartes' point of view in two areas of “the principle of the purposefulness of divine actions and the possibility of knowing the goals of divine actions. While confirming the first area of his view, in the second area and based on extra-religious evidence (reason) and internal religious foundations (Qur'an and hadiths), the raised misconception has been criticized and investigated. The result of the research shows that despite believing in the purposefulness of divine actions, Descartes considers it impossible to access and know the ultimate cause in divine actions due to human limitations, while in criticizing and confronting this matter and based on external evidence and teachings in the Qur’an and religion, divine actions not only have purpose, but also their recognition is possible and it has been acknowledged in various cases.