"I _, therefore I am" has become a commonplace mantra, and it's often used to look down upon whatever that blank is, especially by people who consider technology to be the downfall of Western civilization.ĭon't believe us? Take a look at this or this or this or this or this.Īctually, ignore that last one. Where you've heard itĭespite its philosophical weight, this quote is nice and simple, so people love to throw it around. Have you ever tried to assume something around a group of philsophers? Yeah, it ain't gonna fly. They thought Descartes' idea seemed to assume a few things, like that there's an "I" who's doing the thinking. Of course, as is the nature of philosophy, plenty of people didn't want to accept it. He figured that, with all the inherent uncertainty in human experience, this was one foundational principle that everyone could accept. (Yeah, that's the original French version that more accurately translates to "I am thinking, therefore I exist"-doesn't quite have the same ring, we guess.)ĭescartes realized that the very fact he was doubting his existence was evidence that he actually did exist. And so: je pense, donc je suis came to be. When we're dreaming, everything seems real…which means that our senses might not be great detectors for whether or not things actually exist.īottom line: he was doubting not only the existence of everything he ever knew, but also his own existence. That made him think that, huh, if they're wrong, it's likely that he could be wrong, too. He was musing on a few things-namely, how other people are wrong (we hear ya, René). In 1637, René Descartes was on the brink of not existing. Wisdom Life Dreams René Descartes Knowledge Intelligence Philosophy Discourse on the Method Most Popular Context
0 kommentar(er)
