I have convinced myself that there is nothing in the world — no sky, no earth, no minds, no bodies. Doesn’t it follow that I don’t exist? No, surely I must exist if it’s me who is convinced of something. But there is a deceiver, supremely powerful and cunning whose aim is to see that I am always deceived. But surely I exist, if I am deceived. Let him deceive me all he can, he will never make it the case that I am nothing while I think that I am something. Thus having fully weighed every consideration, I must finally conclude that the statement “I am, I exist” must be true whenever I state it or mentally consider it.
But what then am I? A thinking thing. And what is that? Something that doubts, understands, affirms, denies, wills, refuses, and also senses and has mental images. - René Descartes
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interesting quote … what i have understood(not my experience) it seems that when they say i do not exist it means “I” as an detached entity from existence (in itself) does not exist in other words detachment does not exist …but existence is there and we are all part of it even death is part of existence
and that’s why existence is so mysterious ..
“But what then am I? A thinking thing. And what is that? Something that doubts, understands, affirms, denies, wills, refuses, and also senses and has mental images.”
and i would like to add i am existence itself which just watches itself and of which i have no experience
oh i wish sometimes so much to experience this but why only sometimes is the problem ????????
“sometimes” is enough, more than enough, actually it is the reality but we return again to illusions but its ok…no problem!
I exist, I am, but what then am I?
MG, you asked that question, a self asked question, because you are still searching.
minhqx
Actually that question is asked by René Descartes (my fevorite), in his famous book Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy, The whole paragraph is of Decartes.
And I would like everyone to ask this question to himself.