Cogito, Ergo Sum




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Cogito, Ergo Sum : Phrases



Meaning:

Usually translated from the Latin as 'I think, therefore I am'.


Origin:

Possibly the best known of all philososophical quotations; this is from the French philosopher René Descartes in his Discourse on Method (1637), where he attempted to prove his existence as a thinking being, by thinking. 'I think, therefore I am' comes to us in English via two translations. Descartes' original statement in French was "Je pense, donc je suis".

This is such a well-known line that it has spawned humourous alternatives, not least:

"I'm pink, therefore I'm spam"

"René Descartes was a drunken fart - I drink therefore I am".

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