Is the Statement “I think. Therefore I am” true? Why?”
A French philosopher, Descartes used his entire life in quest of knowledge. He like other philosophers at his time questioned the ideas of existence. In his First and Second Meditations, he discusses his doubt on human beliefs and concludes that he has been deceived for a long time (Descartes, 2012). From this, Descartes arouses the dogma that established human knowledge and even suggested that what he contemplated of beliefs might be a dream or that the god may have been misleading. For this reason, Descartes make a point to disapprove all that he understood to find what is accurate. This is inconsistency because his accept his belief of his existence even after disapproving everything else (Willinggham, 2012). Thus, the statement “I think, therefore I am” is true.
Descartes refusal to accept opinions of his peers in his search of truth is itself a deceptive. The fact that he could not discredit or distrust his existence attest his statement “I think. Therefore, I am.” Descartes (2012) proves that even if other things can be rejected or assumed false, human existence remains the single surest thing on earth. In addition, while all other things in the world are learned through experience, human existence is unique because no one has the capability to disapprove of himself. In fact, doing so would be false study, as one must exist to question of himself.
Descartes proposition though true is incorrect. This is so because he aimed at assuring that knowledge or beliefs of human reality are correct (Willinggham, 2012). However, in his statement, he uses the words ‘I think’ that suggest that he might be doubtful of his finding. This shows that though Descartes could not object of himself, he could not agree as much with the existing philosophy, which he reaffirmed. For him, he wanted to establish a new set of beliefs that he could approve as true.
People live in a world where they imagine or dream of the worldly phenomenon. For instance, the finding by Galileo that the world was spherical cost him his life. This is because his discovery contrasted the belief that the world was flat. Thus, Descartes could not afford to make an assumption without approving them. Therefore, his disapproval of all human knowledge helps approve of the being of human life. Thus, the human being is real and born for a purpose. Our ability to observe, think, and act is an affirmation of Descartes statement “I think, therefore I am.”
The fact that Descartes was alive and able to think, question, and criticize the existing knowledge and beliefs he counts not discredit his existence. Thus, Descartes assurance of himself and his ability to be inquisitive of nature give him confidence that nobody even the god can take away from him. He is pleased to continue with his examination knowing that he is existing.
References
Descartes, R. (2012). Discourse on method. Hackett Publishing.
Willinggham, D. T. (2012). When can you trust the experts? How to tell good science from bad in education. John Wiley & Sons.
