Rene Descartes is considered the father of modern thought, and in his Meditations on First Philosophy he coins perhaps the most famous phrase in all philosophy. I think therefore I am perfectly sums up Descartes conclusion that the fact he is a 'res cogitans' (a thinking thing), proves that the mind is more real than the body and that we are capable of truly knowing only a small class of abstract clear and distinct perceptions (I exist, God exists etc.). Descartes method of radical (hyperbolic) doubt denies the existence of the physical world and leaves only the mind of the Meditator (Descartes) as something actual. While everything in the world is only a product of faulty and deceptive sensory organs, the mind that produces the doubt itself must exist and its primary attribute must be thought. But wait, if he can doubt everything, why cant he doubt the thought itself? Perhaps the mind itself is a lie. No, he says, the minds existence is guaranteed by the necessary existence of God who, in his perfection, would not deceive or lead astray. Descartes groundbreaking mind/body dualism, inspired by the recent advancements in physics by Galileo, forever altered the course of philosophical thought and late-night stoner pontification. His rationalist conclusions; that the mind exists separate from and prior to the empirical (physical) body, drove a stake through the heart of Aristotelian materialism and dominated the world of deep thought for the next one hundred years.
David Wagner is an author/musician who splits his time between Oakland, CA and Istanbul, Turkey.
David has published two novels, both available on his website, and as a fan of movies, comics, and genre television, he is happy to be working with WhatCulture as a regular contributor.
