That I am able to wonder whether I exist, proves that I do exist.
Rene Descarte's philosophical statement, "I think, therefore I am" appears in Latin in his
Principles of Philosophy (1644): "Cogito ergo sum".
He later repeated the thought, this time in French, in Discourse on Method (1647): "Je pense donc je suis."
Descarte (1596-1650) was not the first to express this thought but was, perhaps, the first to fit it into such a neat 'sound-bite'.
Much earlier, Plato wrote of "the knowledge of knowledge" and Aristotle explained the idea in some detail:
"But if life itself is good and pleasant .... and if one who sees is conscious that he sees, one who hears that he hears, one who walks that he walks and similarly for all the other human activities there is a faculty that is conscious of their exercise, so that whenever we perceive, we are conscious that we perceive, and whenever we think, we are conscious that we think, and to be conscious that we are perceiving or thinking is to be conscious that we exist."
More expressions and their source
Challenge yourself with BookBrowse Wordplays
The Flower Sisters
by Michelle Collins Anderson
From the new Fannie Flagg of the Ozarks, a richly-woven story of family, forgiveness, and reinvention.
The House on Biscayne Bay
by Chanel Cleeton
As death stalks a gothic mansion in Miami, the lives of two women intertwine as the past and present collide.
The Funeral Cryer by Wenyan Lu
Debut novelist Wenyan Lu brings us this witty yet profound story about one woman's midlife reawakening in contemporary rural China.
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
