Authors
T. Schoonen
Date (dd-mm-yyyy)
2026-08-10
Title
Descartes in Two Dimensions
Journal
Ratio
Publication Year
2026-08-10
Document type
Article
Abstract
Descartes' cogito argument is perhaps the most well-known philosophical argument, the conclusion of which is supposed to be a form of rationalism that allows for contingent a priori knowledge of the world. In this short note, I argue that, in fact, the all important statement, ‘I am, I exist’, should be analysed through the lens of (classical) two-dimensional semantics (a la Kaplan and Evans). Once we do this, I argue, we find that even though the thought is always true when thought, it does not express a deep contingency (as per Evans). That is, it does not result in substantive knowledge of the world. I note that it might also not be superficially contingent, but something more nuanced in between due to the performative nature of the thought.
URL
go to publisher's site
Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/11245.1/88d9be32-acee-4e4a-89c0-cd2fe655ff96