What is the first principle? #descartes #books #philosophy

Added: 2026-05-26

[00:00:00]You've heard this before, but almost nobody understands what it really means.

[00:00:04]I think, therefore I am. When the famous philosopher René Descartes wrote this, he was trying to do something crazy, doubt literally everything, find absolute certainty. Your senses can lie, dreams can feel real, and memories can be fake. So, he stripped away reality until one undeniable truth was left. One thing could not be doubted, the thinker itself. Because even if you question it all, there were still the reflecting and the thinking. The very act of thinking proves the self exists. That is what I think, therefore I am really means. By realizing that thinking proves his existence, Descartes found the first certainty and changed philosophy forever. Meditations on First Philosophy, the full audiobook on the channel. Subscribe to Great Works for more unique insights.