Cogito, ergo sum Cogito, ergo sum This proposition became a fundamental element of Western philosophy, as it purported to form a secure foundation for knowledge in the face of radical doubt. While other knowledge could be a figment of imagination, deception, or mistake, Descartes asserted that the very act of doubting one's own existence served—at minimum—as proof of the reality of one's own mind; there must be a thinking entity—in this case the self—for there to be a thought. Descartes first wrote the phrase in French in his 1637 "Discourse on the Method". He referred to it in Latin without explicitly stating the
Mr. Cogito whose presence is introduced by a poem entitled "Dusza Pana Cogito" (Mr. Cogito's Soul). It brings to our attention Mr Cogito's soul leading a life of its own. In contrast with the souls of the ancient world, it tends to leave him unexpectedly, wandering here and there, oblivious of the owner's well-being. The soul always returns, though, making it possible for Mr. Cogito to adore the world's beauty and diversity in the next poem – "Modlitwa Pana Cogito – podróżnika" ("A Prayer Of Mr. Cogito The Traveller"). This is followed by "Pan Cogito – powrót" ("Mr. Cogito – A Return"),