Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[christina_nguyen]

Hi,

Could someone plz explain the meaning of "I think, therefore I am!"

Thanks,

--Christina

[dabro]

Hello, Christina.

http://www.publicbookshelf.com/public_html/Outline_of_Great_Books_Volume_I/ithinkth_bga.html
_________________
If a man constantly aspires is he not elevated?
Henry David Thoreau


Peace,

David

[antran1976]

Hi Christina,

Thinking = Being and so therefore I think = I am. Philosophically, it is deep but conveys a very simple state of reality. It's like the notion of "suchness" or things as they are in Buddhism (actually not exactly). But for your understanding, "I think therefore I am" could be interpreted as "By thinking I am being" or "To think is to be." My personal perspective!

An V. Tran

p.s. "Toi suy tu, boi the toi la toi." (my Vietnamese is bad!)

[ClarissaMach]

Well, there's this french philosopher, Ren� Descartes, who believed that none of our senses were able to provide true experience, i.e., our eyes, ears and tact were not able to really show us the true reality of the world. So that none of the experiences we had through our senses could be considered beyond all doubt.

But then he realises that, if he's able to doubt, it means he's able to think; we can't doubt the existence of our minds since the very act of doubting requires a mind, isn't it? In other words, "I can't doubt the fact that I am able to doubt; if I am able to doubt, it means that I am able to think; and, If I am able to think, it means I exist - at least as a "thinking substance".

So, "I think, therefore I am" ("Cogito, ergo sum" in latin).

[LucentShade]

Why not try searching for the phrase (in "" quotation marks like you have it written here) on Google --it usually works pretty well for strange phrases like this one.

[ClarissaMach]

Is "I think, therefore I am" considered a strange phrase in the USA?

Because here in Brazil it's so commonly known that it's even used in advertisements ("I think, therefore I watch [that TV channel...]". Probably doesn't sounds great in English, but in Portuguese it's very effective - "Penso, logo assisto" sounds very similar to "Penso, logo existo").

[hitori2k6]

Actually, it comes from the original Latin
"Cogito ergo Sum".

This axiom holds that our consciousness prevails over existence.

[LucentShade]