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How certain can I be that I exist? (is the cogito an intuition, a deduction, a 'performance', does it presuppose anything and if so are there any implications of that?)
Member rating: No Rating | Words: | Submitted: Wed Nov 19 2003
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HOW CERTAIN CAN I BE THAT I EXIST? (IS THE COGITO AN INTUITION, A DEDUCTION, A 'PERFORMANCE', DOES IT PRESUPPOSE ANYTHING AND IF SO ARE THERE ANY IMPLICATIONS OF THAT?) The only certainty, Descartes contends, is that I exist. Through his method of doubt, all else has been proven to contain some element of doubt, and thus cannot be trusted as absolutely certain. In the Discourse, Descartes says, "... I noticed that while I was trying... to think everything false, it was necessary that I, who was thinking this, was something. And observing that this truth 'I am thinking, therefore I exist' was so firm and sure that all the most extravagant suppositions of the sceptics were incapable of shaking it, I decided that I could accept it without scruple as the first principle of the philosophy I was seeking." The argument of the certainty of my existence rests upon the...
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