Comments | bex_sgs: A level Philosophy :)

bex_sgs

A level Philosophy :)

Dec 29, 2003 11:17

I think, therefore I think?
(With apologies to Descartes)I think, therefore i think i exist. I think i exist because i think. Does thinking that i exist, or not, alter or not the reality of whether or not i exist? I think not, surely I exist or not, whether or not i think it or not ( Read more... )

Comments 7

ev1ldonut December 29 2003, 03:41:59 UTC

*Masages temples*

Brain melting... Can't cope with that sort of thing at the moment... Need more sleep... Need more food...

wibble

bex_sgs December 29 2003, 04:04:22 UTC

Poor babe ;) It does actually make sense when you read it veeeery carefully :) !!

ev1ldonut December 29 2003, 04:06:17 UTC

I know, don't worry, I do understand it *smile* but just in no state for philosophy right now. "brain not want thinking do" hehe ;)

(The comment has been removed)

Re: I am. bex_sgs December 29 2003, 04:03:41 UTC

I see you've done this before?! :) I'm writing an essay on Belief in Life After Death and found the above in my folder. Thought i'd make a few peeps think! (Poor ev1ldonut!)

azekeil December 29 2003, 04:51:58 UTC

I think my answer has to be "Depends on your definition of reality and therefore existence."

You could neatly sidestep the problem by defining reality to be what you perceive, and therefore you and your friends all exist. However, this does present nasty problems with unknowns or unexplainables. Still, this doesn't deter a lot of people from following this train of thought because it makes their everyday lives simpler.

bex_sgs December 29 2003, 04:56:56 UTC

I know, i think a lot of it IS that.

Last night I was in Hereford with my cousins, and my uncle, who is "anti-denominational", me who sits on the fence, not sure what i believe; my Mum who is a believer (Xian) but isn't a religious church-goer or anything; and my two grandma's both who are very Xian, got into a rather heated philosophical discussion about whether God exists.

It was interesting, and i kept playing devil's advocate coz i can DO that :) So, i got thinking and thought i'd whack that up.

Just a lunatic59 January 5 2004, 13:04:26 UTC

Yes, but do you really think or do you only think you think? If our existence is contingent on our thinking, then how did thinking originally come into existence so we could think, and therefore exist? It's the chicken and the very cerebral egg conundrum. And ... having thought that i think i shall not think about thinking.

Or ...

If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is around to hear it except a group of shirtless burly men with chain saws and rippling muscles, sweating in the warm afternoon sun, does anyone give a crap about the tree?