March 3, 2008
Rene Descartes (1596-1650) was a French philosopher and mathematician. His philosophy was based on known certainties. He was certain he existed because he could think; "I think, therefore I am".
Descartes strips away anything that can be doubted to form his philosophical concepts. In the end, he admits, the only thing that is certain is that he thinks. He knows he exists because he thinks. That is the only certainty in the world. Cogito ergo sum. Latin for, "T think, therefore I am".
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Updated March 3, 2008
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We all know of episodes when we know when someone doesn't think, or, at least, it appears someone isn't thinking. Based on Descartes' philosophy, they must not exist. Hmmmm. The person certainly does exist. The person is blocking all lanes of traffic. Or, they answer a question on T.V. (like on Jay Leno's 'JayWalking' skits), such as, "What countries border the U.S.A.?" The response is usually something like "China", or better yet, "Africa". Yeah, you gotta love the country of Africa.
There are such episodes all around, throughout all times of the day. I received a voice mail message the other day at work. The person leaving the message said, "Ah, you left a card on my door. I want to know what it was about. Can you call me back?" Then, click. I am thinking, who is this person (no name was left), and what is this person's address? Better yet, what is his phone number? I visit many houses throughout the course of a day serving subpoenas, summonses, evictions, warrants, etc...I must leave my card on about ten to fifteen houses each day when no one is home. So I sit back in my chair and think, "It's because of people like this, that I have a job".
Some people just arenm't accustomed to thinking. Perhaps they never learned. But I tell you one thing, Mr. Descartes, they do indeed exist and their numbers are growing exponentially.
I know I am playing with words here. Rene Descartes didn't mean his philosophy to take on the spin I have given it. In fact, he is known as the "Father of Modern Philosophy" and the "Father of Modern Mathematics"--sorry Newton. In fact he is quite well known for his invention of Analytic Geometry, which bridges Geometry and Algebra.
He goes on, "Dubito, ergo cogito, ergo sum" (Latin: "I doubt, therefore I think, therefore I am"). Therefore, Descartes concluded, if he doubted, then something or someone must be doing the doubting, therefore the very fact that he doubted proved his existence.
Well, it is hard to argue that point. I wouldn't know where to begin.
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