Decartes
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Decartes I am a thinking thing
At a late stage in decartes life, he set aside a time period in which he attempted to examine the methods through which his knowledge had been ascertained (namely the senses}. After much consideration he came to the conclusion that from time to time the senses have been deceptive and not entirely reliable.
In decartes mind this meant that some of his knowledge might be false, as it is not wise to believe any knowledge acquired through an unreliable source. To remedy his mind, he underwent a process of re-evaluation; he began to wonder what he could really know. He decided he must start by finding an absolute truth on which to measure all other knowledge. He first arrives at the notion "I think therefore I am" (cognito ergo sum). From this he now has one solid truth and needs to further find out what exactly is thinking, i.e. is he a physical being that's thinking etc. For it seems reasonable to suggest that thought must come from somewhere...