Descartes dedicates the
Meditations to the Faculty of Theology at the Sorbonne, France’s leading university. But he also asks the Faculty to endorse his work. He argues that, while faith and scripture are enough to make Christians like him accept the existence of
God and the immortal soul, atheists will only believe in them if they have philosophical proof. After carefully searching for the best possible version of this proof, Descartes is publishing his findings in this book. He warns that some readers might not understand his complex arguments, while others will attack him because they care more about getting attention than discovering the truth. But if the Faculty agrees to publicly support Descartes’s work, it will send a powerful message. Descartes believes that, with the Faculty’s backing, his work could convince all of humanity to accept Christianity’s basic truths.