“The Supreme Happiness of Contemplating Divine Majesty.” Remarks on the Last Paragraph of Descartes’ Third Meditation

Abstract

The paper analyses the last paragraph of Descartes’ Third Meditation. In this key paragraph, Descartes speaks about the contemplation of the idea of God, i.e. the idea of the Infinite, which is in the mind. This cognitive action of the mind is tied to different emotions like wonder, adoration, happiness, and joy. The paper explicates the role of these emotions by drawing on Descartes’ other writings, especially on Passions of the Soul. The paper argues that Descartes’ description of emotions is connected to the double nature of the perception of the infinite in Cartesian thinking, where the infinite is the clearest and most distinct idea, although it is incomprehensible.