I think therefore I am: Rene Descartes

Rene Descartes the 17th century French philosopher is after certainities or truth in the field of metaphysics which is a field of philosophy that has to do with the ultimate reality of all things such as being, existence, reality sense, knowledge etc. This is a field of study which has to do with reality that cannot be studied in an objective or scientific manner. Material reality can be studied in an objective manner. His work in the field resulted in the famous principle I think therefore I am. This is considered as the foundation of knowledge. Descartes felt that a lot of our thoughts have no basis in reality. Our senses deceive us. There is nothing really in existence as it is presented to us. He also felt that as humans we can fall into faulty reasoning. We can think of as true that which is not true and as false that which is true. He also felt that the things presented to him while awake could also take place while asleep. So that which he consideres real could be illusory. Even in finding solutions to geometrical problems he was liable to error. So he almost reached the conclusion that everything in this world is false. His hands and feet could be false. Just as he thought this he had another thought. This thought was that although the reality of what he thought could not be proved his own reality or the reality of his own existence could be proved because he thougbt and he could not possibly think without existing. He realised that he Descartes who thus thought about the reality of other things could be something. Descartes arrived at an affirmative truth about the reality of his own existence by doubting everything. This is the famous statement cogito ergo sum, or I think therefore I am. Since Descartes found certainty for his existence in the truth that he could think, thinking is an affirmative activity. So think your way through life. Hope you enjoyed reading about how Descartes arrived at the certainty of his own existence. Thanks for reading this!