When René Descartes wrote these words (Cogito, ergo sum) as
part of his meditations on philosophy, they were part of an elaborate,
well-reasoned argument of empirical observation. Because I (whatever “I” entails) have the ability
to cognitively process and even ponder my own existence (think), I must in fact
exist (as anything that has the ability to think must exist). Descartes was a rational man who spent time
questioning even his own conclusions.
His basis for reasoning and drawing conclusions, however, was factual
observation or natural philosophy.
In society today, we have lost this ability to reason and
question. We have lost the objective art
of observation and sacrificed philosophy for psychology. Our culture has twisted Descartes’ words from
the philosophical, observable, objective truth of existence into a predication of
psychological, unobservable, preferred state of being. Rather than ‘I think, therefore I exist’, a
rational and observable conclusion, our culture abuses the philosophical
argument to state things such as, ‘I think I am a woman, therefore I am a woman’,
an unverifiable, desired status.
In other words, rather than relying on the faculties of reason to evaluate the reality of our observable existence, our culture has determined to use our reasoning to define alternatives to our observable reality.
