Cogito--Ergo-Sum-Inference-or-Performance

PhilosophicalReviewCogito,ErgoSum:InferenceorPerformance?Author(s):JaakkoHintikkaSource:ThePhilosophicalReview,Vol.71,No.1(Jan.,1962),pp.3-32Publishedby:DukeUniversityPressonbehalfofPhilosophicalReviewStableURL::02/11/201011:34YouruseoftheJSTORarchiveindicatesyouracceptanceofJSTOR'sTermsandConditionsofUse,availableat://=duke.EachcopyofanypartofaJSTORtransmissionmustcontainthesamecopyrightnoticethatappearsonthescreenorprintedpageofsuchtransmission.JSTORisanot-for-profitservicethathelpsscholars,researchers,andstudentsdiscover,use,andbuilduponawiderangeofcontentinatrusteddigitalarchive.Weuseinformationtechnologyandtoolstoincreaseproductivityandfacilitatenewformsofscholarship.FormoreinformationaboutJSTOR,[e-mail]ilosophicalReviewarecollaboratingwithJSTORtodigitize,preserveandextendaccesstoThePhilosophicalReview.:INFERENCEORPERFORMANCE?I.COGITO,ERGOSUMasaproblem.Thefame(somewouldsaythenotoriety)oftheadagecogito,ergosummakesoneexpectthatscholarlyindustryhaslongsinceexhaustedwhateverinterestitmayhavehistoricallyortopically.Aperusaloftherelevantliterature,however,failstosatisfythisexpectation.AfterhundredsofdiscussionsofDescartes'sfamedprinciplewestilldonotseemtohaveanywayofexpressinghisallegedinsightintermswhichwouldbegeneralandpreciseenoughtoenableustojudgeitsvalidityoritsrelevancetotheconsequencesheclaimedtodrawfromit.ThirtyyearsagoHeinrichScholzwrotethattherenotonlyremainmanyimportantquestionsconcerningtheCartesiandictumunansweredbutthattherealsoremainimportantquestionsunasked.'Severalilluminatingpaperslater,thesituationstillseemsessentiallythesametoday.2.Somehistoricalaspectsoftheproblem.ThisuncertaintyofthetopicalsignificanceofDescartes'sdictumcannotbutreflectonthediscussionsofitshistoricalstatus.ThecontemporarieswerenotslowtopointoutthatDescartes'sprinciplehadbeenstrikinglyanticipatedbySt.Augustine.Althoughlaterstudieshaveun-earthedotheranticipations,2notablyinCampanellaandintheSchoolmen,scholarsstillseemtobeespeciallyimpressedbyDescartes'saffinitywithSt.Augustine,inspiteofhisunmis-takableattemptstominimizethesignificanceofAugustine'santicipation.Itcannotbedenied,ofcourse,thatthesimilaritiesarestriking.Onemaywonder,however,whethertheyareallIHeinrichScholz,10berdasCogito,ergosum,Kant-Studien,XXXVI(I930),I26-I47.2Seee.g.L.Blanchet,LesantecedentsduJepense,doncjesuis(Paris,I920);1&tienneGilson,t9tudessurlerdledelapensdemididvaledanslaformationdusystemecartisien(tftudesdephilosophicmedidvale,XIII)(Paris,I930),2dpt.,ch.ii,andthefirstappendix;HeinrichScholz,AugustinusundDescartes,BldtterfurdeutschePhilosophie,V(1932),406-423.3JAAKKOHINTIKKAthereistothematter.PerhapstherearealsodissimilaritiesbetweenDescartesandAugustineimportantenoughtojustifyoratleasttoexplaintheone'sreluctancetoacknowledgetheextentoftheother'santicipation.ButwecannottellwhetherthereismoretoDescartes'scogito,ergosumthanthereistoSt.Augustine'ssimilarargumentbeforewecantellexactlywhatthereistothecogitoargument.IfthereareimportantdifferencesbetweenDescartesandhispredecessors,thequestionwillalsoarisewhethersomeoftheanticipationsarecloserthanothers.Forinstance,DescartescouldhavefoundtheprincipleinSt.ThomasAquinasaswellasinSt.Augustine.Whichofthetwosaintscomesclosertothecogito,ergosum?3.Whatistherelationofcogitotosum?Whatkindoftopicalquestionsdoescogito,ergosumgiveriseto?OneofthemostimportantquestionsisundoubtedlythatofthelogicalformofDescartes'sinference.Isitaformallyvalidinference?Ifnot,whatislogicallywrongaboutit?Butthereisanevenmorefundamentalquestionthanthese.DoesDescartes'sdictumreallyexpressaninference?Thatitdoesissuggestedbytheparticleergo.AccordingtoDescartes,however,bysayingcogito,ergosumhedoesnotlogically(syllo-gistically)deducesumfromcogitobutratherperceivesintuitively(byasimpleactofmentalvision)theself-evidenceofsum.3Similarly,Descartesoccasionallysaysthatone'sownexistenceisintuitivelyobviouswithoutbringingincogitoasapremise.4Sometimesheintimatesthathisfirstprincipleisreallytheexistenceofhismind-andnottheprinciplecogito,ergosum,bymeansofwhichthisexistenceisapparentlydeduced.5Oncehe3?EuvresdeDescartes,publishedbyC.AdamandP.Tannery(Paris,i897-I913),VII,I40;ThePhilosophicalWorksofDescartes,trans.byE.S.HaldaneandG.R.T.Ross(London,I931),II,38.Inthesequel,theseeditionswillbereferredtoasATandHR,respectively,withRomannumeralsreferringtovolumes.NormallyIshallnotfollowHaldaneandRoss'stranslation,however;Ishallmakeusoftheexistingtranslations(notablyofthosebyN.KempSmithandbyAnscombeandGeach)rathereclect