I Think; Therefore… Oh, Wait

The problem here is the assumption packed into “I think” — that where there are thoughts, there’s an “I”

Image by Pixabay via Creative Commons

Cogito, ergo sum: “I think; therefore, I am.”

The Cogito — it has to be among the most famous assertions in history.

So what does it mean, all by itself like that? As a motto, at first it feels inherently true: If it’s true that I think, then it must also be true that I exist. Because, of course, if “I” do anything, “I” must exist.

And that means, any creature capable of the thought “I am thinking” must exist. So I don’t know about you, but that proves I’m real.

Hold on a minute, though….

We’ve skipped over a crucial step. Consider this:

If it’s true that ghosts leave dust in houses, then ghosts must exist; I find dust around my house; therefore, my house is haunted.

There’s a similar assumption built into the reasoning of the isolated Cogito. The thoughts are like the dust; the house is like a human body; “I” am like the ghost.

The problem here is the assumption packed into “I think”: namely, that where there are thoughts, there is an “I”, some abstract entity which is “doing the thinking”…