Quote by Rene Descartes, The Nature of th
Thinking is another attribute of the soul; and here I discover what properly belongs to myself. This alone is inseparable from me. I am -- I exist: this is certain; but how often? As often as I think; for perhaps it would even happen, if I should wholly cease to think, that I should at the same time altogether cease to be. I now admit nothing that is not necessarily true: I am therefore, precisely speaking, only a thinking thing, that is, a mind, understanding, or reason, -- terms whose signification was before unknown to me. I am, however, a real thing, and really existent; but what thing? The answer was, a thinking thing. The question now arises, am I aught besides? I will stimulate my imagination with a view to discover whether I am not still something more than a thinking being. Now it is plain I am not the assemblage of members called the human body; I am not a thin and penetrating air diffused through all these members, or wind, or flame, or vapour, or breath, or any of all the things I can imagine; for I supposed that all these were not, and, without changing the supposition, I find that I still feel assured of my existence.
Summary
In this quote, the speaker explores the concept of self and existence through the attribute of thinking. They realize that their ability to think is an inseparable part of themselves, to the point that if they were to cease thinking entirely, they might cease to exist altogether. The speaker acknowledges that they only accept what is necessarily true, and they come to the conclusion that they are a "thinking thing" – a mind, understanding, or reason. They question whether they are anything more than a thinking being, ruling out the possibility of being the physical body or any other material entity. Ultimately, they affirm their existence as a thinking being.
Topics
Thought
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