René Descartes, father of Modern Philosophy, is famous for his oft-quoted dictum, “Cogito, ergo sum” (I think, therefore I am.). Descartes, on a quest to lay a foundation upon which to build a system of knowlege, began the process of methodologically doubting everything until he found something that could not be doubted. Thus, in his pursuit to provide the foundation of certainty, he came to the foundational reality of what could not be doubted: thought exists. For, he reasoned, if I am doubting, then someone is thinking and therefore someone exists.
But Descartes is not the first to have made such a statement. In fact, over a millenium earlier, Augustine said almost the same thing in his famous work City of God. In arguing against the attacks of the skeptics of Augustine’s day, Augustine writes the following:
They say, “Suppose you are mistaken?” I reply, “If I am mistaken, I exist.” A non-existent being cannot be mistaken; therefore, I must exist, if I am mistaken. Then since my being mistaken proves that I exist, how can I be mistaken in thinking that I exist, seeing that my mistake establishes my existence (St. Augustine, City of God, 460)?
Though they both make nearly identical statements, the truth behind the statements are worlds apart. You see, for Descartes, he methodologically doubted everything he possibly could in search for the indubitable truth upon which to build his entire foundation of knowledge: I think, therefore I am. Descartes, in pursuing a rational foundation becomes irrational by starting with himself.
So how is Augustine unlike Descartes, though he makes a similar statement like Descartes? Augustine, on the other hand, does not start with himself to lay the foundation of knowledge, but rather, argues that three foundational principles, (1) our existence, (2) our knowledge of our existence, and (3) our love of our existence is a reflection of “an image of God, that is of the Supreme Trinity” (St. Augustine, City of God, 459).
For Descartes, we begin with ourselves to establish true knowledge.
For Augustine, we begin with the Triune God to establish true knowledge.
Hey that’s a neat quote from Augustine. I like how you examine also the differences between what each is saying. Kierkegaard pointed out the paradox of cogito ergo sum because it presupposes the ‘I’ too. But I read that on Wikipedia so it doesn’t really count for wide reading.
A very nice comparison between Descartes and Augustine :)
Camostar, I’d stick to the Stanford Encylopedia – if philosophy is your interest, then Wikipedia isn’t.
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