Meditations on First Philosophy

Title page from the 1641 Paris Edition of the Meditations of René Descartes. The Latin reads, "Meditations on First Philosophy, in which the Existence of God and the Immortality of the Soul Will Be Demonstrated."

When Descartes talks of "First Philosophy," he really means "Metaphysics."

Gratuitous Descartes Joke

René Descartes (1596-1650) by Frans Hals.

The famous assertion by René Descartes, "Cogito ergo sum," ("I think therefore I am") has often been challenged on the grounds that it starts with "I."

If Descartes attempts to prove his own existence, he ruins his argument by presupposing his own proposition.

He puts de cart before the horse.