Cogito, Ergo Blog

We have a new favorite radio show – Philosophy Talk, an hour-long program that airs locally (Bay Area) on KALW (FM). It's like Car Talk for the soul -- a subtle mix of content and wit.

Today’s show focused on "one of the great moments in philosophy":  Rene Descartes's Meditations, the 17th century philosopher's harrowing journey into doubt, which happily concludes with the most famous of Latin quotes, “cogito, ergo sum” (“I think, therefore I am”).  Hosts Ken Taylor and John Perry (professors at Stanford University's Department of Philosophy) agreed on at least one point:  despite the Frenchman’s political motives – to keep the Catholic Church at bay, by constructing a reason-based foundation for accepting the existence of God -- the "cogito" is a reminder to everyone to take that occasional retreat and subject their most cherished assumptions to doubt.  A fitting lesson for the age of new media.... And yes, the show does have a blog.