“I think, therefore I am”, what does this phrase by Descartes mean?

For us, perhaps it seems obvious to be rational beings, with the ability to think about the world around us. However, we say it with all the cultural baggage that precedes us. There was a time when this was not the case and it is at that moment where the figure of René Descartes appears. He is credited with a remarkable discovery summarized in the phrase: “I think, therefore I am.”.

In this article we will explore the meaning of this discovery and the doctrine behind this intellectual, considered one of the most important philosophers of the 17th century. Let’s get started!

Context of the philosophy of René Descartes

René Descartes was a renowned philosopher and physicist of great importance for the development of rationalism. This current assumes that human beings have the capacity to know through our reason. The relevance of his work lies in the fact that is one of the first in build the bases and rules to achieve safe and true knowledge.

First of all, Descartes seeks to emancipate the subject from the bonds of dogmatic knowledge. This means that the sources of knowledge must come from ourselves and not from religion or a philosophy built on flimsy foundations.

Besides, He wants to find that safe path for the development of philosophy in particular and science in general. Thus, in his various books he proposes to build the foundations of a new rationalist philosophy. We can name the following most notable works of that philosopher:

Rules for the direction of the spirit (1628)Method Discourse (1637)Metaphysical meditations (1641)Principles of philosophy (1644)The passions of the soul (1649)

In this article we will focus on the Discourse of the method and the Metaphysical meditations. This is because the famous phrase appears in them: “I think, therefore I am.”

Meaning of the phrase “I think, therefore I am”

The original formulation of the phrase “I think, therefore I am” is written in Latin as Cogito ergo sum. It means that In the same act of thinking one can conceive one’s own existence. That is, reflection considers that being and existing are mutually identified and one cannot be without the other.

To interpret the phrase as a whole, it is advisable to disassemble it into parts. In this way, the word cogito It is the act of thinking. For its part, ergo It means afterwards, although it is not interpreted with an adverb of time, rather it is a simultaneous experience. Finally, sum means to be.

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As stated in a magazine article Studio, Descartes intuits a concrete existence linked to the act of thinking. That is It is an internal experience that is the product of a rigorous philosophical method: methodical doubt.

It is worth mentioning that the phrase appears for the first time in his work Discourse of the method, specifically in the fourth part. In it, the philosopher proceeds to make a summary of what will later be explained with greater precision in the Metaphysical meditations.

Methodical doubt as a starting point to reach the Cogito ergo sum

Descartes arrives at Cogito ergo sum through methodical doubt. But what does this consist of? This is a provisional and necessary doubt to carry out the philosophical objective that he set for himself. It consists of discover the safe path for the development of philosophy and science.

This doubt is characterized by consider all our past opinions as false, especially, those that come from our senses. Furthermore, the act of doubting represents freedom from the ties of the past that constricted our consciousness.

It is important to highlight that Descartes considers doubt as an act of thought. In this sense, doubt is a source to discover the Cogito ergo sum; given that By doubting we make use of our thinking, reaffirming not only it, but also our own existence. Let us remember at this point that thinking and existing are connected.

In this way, with the Cogito ergo sum a doubting I is assured. It arises from the very act of doubting.

Clarity and distinction of “I think, therefore I am”

One of the most important rules of thought for Descartes is clarity and distinction. Furthermore, it is the first that the philosopher exposes in the Discourse of the method. The fundamental thing about it is that it represents a criterion of truth. This means that Everything that I conceive as clear and distinct is, necessarily, true.

In this way, said clarity and distinction is an immediate intuition that our reason captures spontaneously. In this aspect, Descartes considers intuition to be an absolute truth.

The first intuition he discovers is “I think, therefore I am.” Thus, it represents the first absolute truth that serves as a model to find the others.

Philosophical anthropology of Descartes

Already at this point, we can say that Descartes defines the human being as a thinking reality. In Latin this is known as res cogitans. Thus, “I think, therefore I am” is an immediate intuition that clearly sees that in order to think it is necessary to exist. In this way, we apprehend our existence in the very act of thought.

So, thought is for this philosopher an essential attribute of the human being, even the most important. The most notable thing about this is that he not only defines the human being, but also that its evidence is such that it cannot be doubted.

Importance of Descartes’ philosophy

René Descartes is considered the father of modernity, but the influence of his thought is not limited to this. In this regard, an article published by the magazine ergo-sum SCIENCE outlines some relevant issues to consider in Cartesian philosophy.

Firstly, there is no doubt about the revolution of the Cartesian theory of autonomous reason. It is represented through the phrase Cogito ergo sum. Thus, it is considered that gave rise to the notion of I, that is, a subjectivity thrown into the world.

Additionally, introduce a novel conception of the human being, defined through his thinking activity. This idea will endure not only in the development of later philosophy, but also in science itself. This is because scientists began to address the world with as pure a view as possible.

Descartes: a revolutionary philosopher

The philosophy of René Descartes represented a radical change in the way of thinking about human beings and science in general. Born on March 31, 1596 at La Haye in Touraine, France, his philosophical goal was to lay the foundations for science in general and philosophy in particular. This earned him the fame of being one of the most important thinkers of the 17th century.

With the formulation of Cogito ergo sum It opened a new horizon of thought that put human reason at its center. Not only that, Descartes also systematically developed a method with which one could hope to find the truth without any error.

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