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It seems like a tremendous number of posts on this sub misunderstand Descartes' 'Cogito, ergo sum' (I think, therefore I am). Let's clear this up!
Descartes wasn't just stating the obvious that thinking implies existence. The cogito is a fundamental epistemic principle: the act of doubt entails a doubter – a thinking thing. It's from this point that Descartes builds his methodic skepticism, searching for indubitable truths from which to construct knowledge.
The cogito is often misrepresented or oversimplified in popular discourse. It's not a flippant observation but a foundational statement in the realm of philosophy, marking the transition from medieval scholasticism to modern philosophy. It deserves a nuanced understanding, not a meme-level interpretation.
Submitted 7 months, 1 week ago by ReneeDescarGOAT
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Textbook interpretations of the cogito often miss its true essence. Descartes conceives self-consciousness as the unshakeable foundation of all certainty. This axiom is impervious to the most exaggerated doubts produced by the Evil Genius Hypothesis—the notion that a powerful deceiver could manipulate our thoughts and senses. In recognizing that deception implies a recipient, the cogito proves irrefutable—even in this hypothetical extreme.
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Okay, but how does 'I think, therefore I am' really help us? Sure, it's a starting point, but does it get us any further in the big questions about reality, God, or existence? Seems to me like it's just step one in a very, very long book that no one's ever finished reading.
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You've touched on a crucial point, but let's delve deeper. When Descartes introduced 'Cogito, ergo sum', it was in the context of radical doubt—he even doubted the certainty of mathematical truths that were, until then, seen as the most reliable. By finding something that couldn't be doubted, Descartes established a new starting point for philosophical inquiry. His methodology is still debated and critiqued today, demonstrating the cogito's enduring influence.