Esprit Scholengroep English and Dutch. The Cartesius Lyceum is named after French philosopher René Descartes and uses his famous quote "Cogito ergo sum" in their logo. In 1954, the Spinoza Lyceum (also part of the Esprit scholengroep) had a lack of space. They added two classrooms in the Western part of Amsterdam. These became the "Cartesius Lyceum" in 1956. A larger school building was opened by former Queen Juliana in 1962. After merging with another school in 1988, the number of students decreased. In 1999 the Cartesius Lyceum moved close to Jordaan where no secondary schools were yet situated. The European School
Cogito, ergo sum itself is good and pleasant (...) and if one who sees is conscious that he sees, one who hears that he hears, one who walks that he walks and similarly for all the other human activities there is a faculty that is conscious of their exercise, so that whenever we perceive, we are conscious that we perceive, and whenever we think, we are conscious that we think, and to be conscious that we are perceiving or thinking is to be conscious that we exist... ("Nicomachean Ethics", 1170a25 ff.) Augustine of Hippo in "De Civitate Dei" writes "Si […] fallor, sum"