Descarte's Maxim

[LT3]

I have been thinking about Ren? Descartes ultimate existential axiom of the reality of humans, "I think therefore I am", and unless I am grossly mistaken I may have found flaw with it.

It seems to me that if he's presupposed his own non-existence then how can he be sure in the reality of his own thoughts...
The point of everything not being real is so humans can ultimately divide the real from things which may be illusions in the sake of finding out truth, so he had to go on pure logic in order to understand existence.
He wouldn't be able to use fact, because nothing can be said to be real?
Any one of those things could be illusion?

So when he had a notion, a vague realisation of his own thought, he assumed that real? If he himself is not real, his own mind not real until he proved it, how can his thoughts be suddenly said to be geniune?
Why could that not be manifestations of his concious, illusions...


Thoughts are not tangible.
So as you are in the void, the concept of thought reaches out to you,
because - really - you cannot percieve thought, but you understand the concept of thought and your previous knowedge tells you that you - as a human being - would be doing it now.
But you, the human, don't exist.
Now, to him, this meant that he must exist because of thought.

But on further inspection, wouldn't that negate the existence of the thought?
Since you can't perceive it, he's only going on his knowledge that it must be happening yet he's working under the assumption that he doesn't exist.

He's using previous knowledge in a blank void of nothingness?
How can that be a viable method of proving existence, a previous conceptual fact created by humans?

[eOs]

I see what you're saying. I agree with it, but I don't know much about the maxim thing to contrast and compare.

[kbk]

Same here, I understand what you mean and I agree...However, at the same time I am very confused.

[duiker]

I don't think anyone will be able to confirm or falsify this theory of existence because we, as humans, have no capacity for understanding reality, and no methods of properly testing it. One of the biggest mysteries of this earth is the human mind. It is mysterious and puzzling and the most powerful physical weapon that we posess. And until we can uncover and reveal every single secret of the physical brain, and the invisible mind, I doubt we'll come close to finding the truth of everything.

But in a roundabout way, I think I see what you've found. But it's like saying- what came first: the chicken or the egg?
What comes first: the thought or the reality? -The reality exists because of the thought but the thought exists only in the reality.

[fuCKYou]

Same here, I understand what you mean and I agree...However, at the same time I am very confused. same here

[Eulux]

I think therefore I am means exactly that...on some level I exist, if not solely as another's thoughts...but to me I am a conscious entity. grave robbing.