by Francis Kwame Offin, Esq., offinesquire@gmail.com; offinfrancis@yahoo.com
Let it not escape your inquisitive mind to ascertain the meaning of the subject under cross-examination here, cogito ergo sum. It has embraced a wide spectrum of analytical minds and still continues to be the bosom of enquiry of the common and the uncommon, the learned and unlearned, the professional and the causal, the professor and the student, the doctor and the patient, the lawyer and the client, parents and children, kings and their subjects, cities and villages, politicians and citizens, big institutions and small institutions.
Cogito, ergo sum, its root or etymological meaning is from the mercy of the Latin language translated in English as “I think, therefore I am.” This is a philosophical statement that was made by the inestimable French philosopher called Rene´ Descartes.
I think, therefore I am
The venerable philosopher, Rene´ Descartes, in search for how to be certain and indubitable of every endeavour settled on the activities of the mind. Can I know that this is real without doubt? If I should doubt a particular thing, what will cause the doubt to fizzle away into oblivion? That thing about me that makes me aware, sure or certain that something is certain and another thing is not certain, is that thing the reality?
Can I doubt that I am doubting? What is certainty? How do we know that what we know is certain? What makes me aware that I am not dreaming now but I am awake or real? These are questions that mostly or once in a while engage the attention of human beings, institutions, professionals, children, parents, teachers, and the like.
Rene´ Descartes explained it that “we cannot doubt of our existence while we doubt.” This is thought provoking. In essence, for Descartes, the one in existence is the one who can know certainty because that person has the ability to doubt. And doubting is a method to discover certainty for that process is bound to take so many factors into consideration before accepting a particular conclusion. Doubting is part of the thinking process as a thinking being.
Likewise, to conclude that something is known or is certain is to say that that thing has gone through the milling chambers of doubting to separate the husk from the wheat, the tares from the wheat, as it were. The end result is to produce something indubitable. That which cannot be doubted by you again, at least for that particular process on whatever particular subject matter you are engaged in.
This is not far from what a professor needs for analysis, what a doctor needs for diagnosis, what an institution needs for clarity (certainty), what a king needs for compliance, what a lawyer needs for facts, what teacher needs for imparting knowledge to students.
Rene´ Descartes’ theory provoked the self-adjusted one to be sure of certainty. A radical way of providing the foundation of knowledge was birthed by this process throughout the Western World which remarkably affected the entire world’s education and the fundamental elements of critical thinking.
dubito, ergo cogito, ergo sum: “I doubt, therefore I think, therefore I am”
You are right to critically ask, What if as you are doubting, you are being deceived? Imagine my son Jed is twelve years old now and throws this question at me: Daddy, are you not being deceived into thinking that you are not sleeping now but you are awake? Let’s answer it in a Rene´ Descartes way orwith Descartesian response: the awareness that you are doubting which is part of a thinking process, and the awareness that you are either mistaking or not, you cannot doubt this awareness that you are the one doing the doubting process.
The one who does the doubting is a thinking being; and the one who thinks he may be deceived or not ought to be in existence to perform this herculean task of thinking. Thinking demands the energy of your being. You are a thinking being.
Indubitable Certainty
It is this certainty in Descartesian discourse that my child Jed ought to be aware of. He must have been aware of himself to cast doubt on my awareness, and that makes Jed a thinking being. With that indubitable ability of being able to commence the milling process of questioning my awareness, Jed’s existence is certain; whether deceived or being deceived, he remains aware as a thinking being. He thinks, therefore he is.
He can question, he can do analysis, he can inquire, he can discover as a fact, and this minimum certainty will grow with age and time. It is a foundation that is certain. To then know self is to possess a thought and run it through the milling process of thinking (doubting) to produce awareness or certainty. This is where I see Rene´ Descartes waving the white flag with the Latin words embossed on it as follows: dubito, ergo cogito, ergo sum: “I doubt, therefore I think, therefore I am”.
What cannot be doubted
In the Descartesian discourse, what you cannot doubt is that which does the doubting. Quite alluring. What you cannot doubt is that which is most certain or judges all certainty. What you cannot doubt must exist. Rene´ Descartes’ realized or became aware that he could not doubt his existence and the fact that he was the one doing the doubting. An approach of deep reasoning or thought pattern ascertained. No evil genius could deceive him from being aware of his existence. I see him shouting: “I exist! I am! I know! I am aware! I am a thinking person! I can question! I can doubt! I can inquire!”
A Magnificent Being
Rene´ Descartes’ discourse could not with his milling process of doubting destroy the awareness of a being so magnificent who did not haphazardly structure everything for inquiry and knowing by selfs or individuals. He could not doubt the existence of God. Indubitably, God must of necessity exist for a thinking being to be aware of. An evil genius must of necessity exist and of necessity attempt to deceive selfs.
Rene´ Descartes’ subjected his own beliefs to this milling process of doubting to ascertain whether his beliefs could survive his own tests. He discovered that it is impossible to doubt that he exists. For there is no way one could be deceived unless one existed in order to be deceived.
He stipulated that,
“But I have convinced myself that there is absolutely nothing in the world, no sky, no earth, no minds, no bodies. Does it now follow that I, too, do not exist? No. If I convinced myself of something [or thought anything at all], then I certainly existed. But there is a deceiver of supreme power and cunning who deliberately and constantly deceives me. In that case, I, too, undoubtedly exist, if he deceives me; and let him deceive me as much as he can, he will never bring it about that I am nothing, so long as I think that I am something. So, after considering everything very thoroughly, I must finally conclude that the proposition, I am, I exist, is necessarily true whenever it is put forward by me or conceived in my mind.”
The thinking being and the thinking process
Rene´ Descartes sought to use his method as a firm foundation upon which he can stand to make discovery of extra truths. He once opined that:
“Archimedes used to demand just one firm and immovable point in order to shift the entire earth; so I too can hope for great things if I manage to find just one thing, however slight, that is certain and unshakable.”
Indeed, the certainty of foundation weeds out unnecessary adventures and brings home focus and knowledge for building.
One immovable point to stand on to shift the entire earth
Rene´ Descartes, discovered that first, he exists to make impart. His existence was certain to him and he could not doubt that anymore. It was a foundation of his thinking self. A lot is mentioned of him changing the Western World with his radical thinking process. The Western World in turn influenced the whole world’s approach to modern knowledge.
Second, he became aware that he is a thinking being and that doubting is a major part of ascertain things. Doubting engages, employs unbiased bare and bold critical thinking.
Third, he could not doubt God.
“Man is made or unmade by himself; in the armoury of thought he forges the weapons by which he destroys himself; he also fashions the tools with which he builds for himself heavenly mansions of joy and strength and peace. By the right choice and true application of thought, man ascends to the Divine Perfection; by the abuse and wrong application of thought, he descends below the level of the beast. Between these two extremes are all the grades of character, and man is their maker and master. Of all the beautiful truths pertaining to the soul which have been restored and brought to light in this age, none is more gladdening or fruitful of divine promise and confidence than this—that man is the master of thought, the moulder of character, and the maker and shaper of condition, environment, and destiny.” – James Allen, As A Man Thinketh.
The immovable point is that, “For as a man (he) thinketh in his heart, so is he;” Proverbs 23:7.
Cogito, ergo sum, I think, therefore I am.
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