The Existence of God

"The Existence of God" by François de Salignac de La Mothe-Fénelon is a philosophical treatise written during the late 17th century. The work explores the existence of God through various metaphysical and moral proofs, addressing the relationship between humanity and the divine within the context of natural observation and moral reasoning. At the start of the text, Fénelon sets the stage for his argument by reflecting on the difficulty many individuals face in grasping metaphysical truths about God. He introduces the idea that while some men may arrive at knowledge about the divine through intellectual contemplation, the greater population might more readily perceive God's existence through the observation of nature and its wonders. He emphasizes that the same aspects of nature that offer a glimpse into the divine are often overlooked due to humanity's preoccupation with worldly concerns, leading to a call for a renewed attention to the artistry of the universe as evidence of a higher power. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

François de Salignac de la Mothe-Fénelon, PSS, more commonly known as François Fénelon, was a French Catholic archbishop, theologian, poet and writer. Today, he is remembered mostly as the author of The Adventures of Telemachus, first published in 1699. He was a member of the Sulpician Fathers.