Descartes' "I think, therefore I am" marked a shift towards modern philosophy from "summary" of The Dream of Reason by Anthony Gottlieb
Descartes' famous dictum, "I think, therefore I am," is widely regarded as a pivotal moment in the history of philosophy. This statement, first articulated in his Meditations on First Philosophy, encapsulates a fundamental shift towards modern philosophical thought. Descartes' assertion emphasizes the role of the individual's subjective experience and rationality in establishing certainty and truth. Prior to Descartes, philosophy was largely dominated by the traditions of Scholasticism, which relied heavily on the authority of ancient texts and religious doctrine. Descartes' insistence on the primacy of individual reason marked a departure from this reliance on external sources of knowledge. By grounding his philosophy in the certainty of his own existence as a thinking being, Descartes established a new foundation for philosophical inquiry based on subjective experience and rational reflection. Furthe...
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