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Thus the perception of the infinite is somehow prior in me to the perception of the finite, that is, my perception of God is prior to my perception of myself. For how would I understand that I doubt and that I desire, that is, that I lack something and that I am not wholly perfect, unless there were some idea in me of a more perfect being, by comparison with which I might recognize my defects?

Thus the perception of the infinite is somehow prior in me to the perception of the finite, that is, my perception of God is prior to my perception of myself. For how would I understand that I doubt and that I desire, that is, that I lack something and that I am not wholly perfect, unless there were some idea in me of a more perfect being, by comparison with which I might recognize my defects?

Approximate author period: c. 1623 AD · renaissance

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Attribution & collection notes
Author or tradition
René Descartes
Attribution: attributed
Country attributed
Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin.
Historical period
Approximate author period: c. 1623 AD · renaissance
author lifetime midpoint (1596–1650)
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Recorded source
Contributor-provided quotation collection

Supplied reference C; CSV row 211508; supplied attribution, independently unverified

A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.