What would Descartes think of Billie Eilish’s “Therefore I Am” ?
You think that you’re the man, I think therefore I am.
Billie Eilish’s new single, Therefore I Am, features the popular quote by French Philospher René Descartes, “cogito ergo sum” or “I think therefore I am”; but is this only a catchy rhyme for a chorus, or does it, perhaps, carry more importance for the song’s meaning?
First of all, what is the song about? The three minutes track is a straight forward call out to Billie’s haters and unreliable paparazzi, especially to those who make assumptions about her life with the sole purpose of creating drama and gossip. In this situation, I think it’s worth quoting the first rule of Descarte’s method: Never accept anything as true unless there is clear and distinct evidence to prove it.
Now, let’s take a look at some quotes from the first verse of the song,
(1) Don’t talk 'bout me like how you might know how I feel
(2) Top of the world, but your world isn’t real, your world’s an ideal
(1) In the first part of Discours de la méthode (1637), where “cogito ergo sum” is first written, Descartes concludes that the only way to find the truth is in oneself. We could relate Descarte’s opinion with Billie’s quote as she calls out haters and bodyshamers who comment about her art, her personality and her body like they know what’s best for her, or as if the know her personally, but Billie is the only person who knows what’s best for her own life, and like Descartes, she knows these truths are inside her.
(2) One of the key concepts of Descartes’ philosophy that is also exposed in Discours de la méthode is the importance of doubting and questioning everything around us, including our existence, since we sometimes can be fooled by our own senses and prejudices, and this is the case for the person Billie is talking to in this quote.
This last explanation can also be applied to the chorus, where Billie states “You think that you’re the man, I think therefore I am” because, again, the man she’s talking to is blinded by his own senses and biased perception so he thinks of himself as superior, as “The Man”. We could also say that “I think therefore I am” is used by Billie to show herself as the opposite to this man, as someone who thinks clearly and reasonably. She highlights this separation between them on the second verse, “I don’t want press to put your name next to mine, we’re on different lines”.
As another philosophical reference, the cover image for this song could be seen as a broken Descartes bust or statue, but that is yet to be confirmed by Eilish.
Cover image for “Therefore I Am” on Spotify.
With all the similarities exposed above between the song’s lyrics and Descartes’ philosophy, I think it’s safe to say the Fench thinker would be a fan (or at least, a casual listener) of the pop tune.
While it isn’t sure if Billie Eilish is actually a fan of Descartes’ philosophy, I think this song is a good, modern and catchy take on his famous quote, and I’m eager to hear her talk about her creative process for this song on future interviews.
Stream Therefore I Am: https://youtu.be/RUQl6YcMalg
