Cogito ergo sum
The Latin phrase “Cogito ergo sum” means “I think, therefore I am.” It was introduced by René Descartes, a French philosopher, as a foundational statement in his search for certainty in knowledge. Descartes used this proposition in his work Meditations on First Philosophy to overcome radical doubt.
Descartes began by doubting everything that could possibly be doubted, including the evidence of the senses, the physical world, and even mathematical truths. However, he realized that the very act of doubting required a thinking subject. Even if everything else is an illusion, the fact that he was thinking proved his existence. Thus, thinking becomes the first and most certain knowledge.
This statement laid the foundation for modern philosophy by emphasizing the role of the subject and reason in establishing truth. “Cogito ergo sum” is considered the beginning of epistemological individualism, where knowledge begins with the self.
While influential, the cogito has been critiqued for its reliance on the assumption of a stable “I” and its separation of mind and body. Nonetheless, it remains a landmark in the history of thought and a key point in discussions of consciousness and identity.