Descartes Knowledge

A detailed Summary of Descartes Knowledge

our existence in reality is a question which philosophers have tackled throughout time. This essay will look at the

phrase, cogito ergo sum or I think therefore I am, a phrase brought about by Rene Descartes. This phrase is the

backbone of Descartes whole philosophy of our existence in reality. As long as we are thinking things, we exist.

When we look at this approach to our existence we must first deny that any sensory data that we receive is

believable or it is conceivable that it is false. This means that we can't really know that anything we perceive

through our senses is actually an accurate interpretation of reality. After we've established that our senses aren't

totally reliable we then have to look at what we know of without our senses. Descartes says that the only thing

that we can be sure of is that we are thinking things. Even in denying that we are thinking things we are affirming

the actual point that we look to deny. The thought that we are not thinking things is still a thought and therefore

proof that we are thinking things. For it is not conceivable for one to think of a point at which we are not thinking.

necessarily prove that we are human beings, it does prove that we are beings. At this point Descartes would say

we say that it is impossible to not be thinking because to stop thinking is to no longer exist. Descartes would say

smells, sounds, and feels like something different then the original piece of wax, we know that it is the same thing.

a thing. It still remains that even though we can't remember any thought before we woke, we know that there was

our senses aren't reliable, when we see things we still have the experience of seeing that thing. Even if in a dream,

things which we don't remember. I don't remember being born but that does not mean that I wasn't thinking at

Because we think and the mind perceives there must be something that exists. Objections to the cogito

Approximate Word count = 1346
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History

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