How often do you consciously emphasize your language with metaphors? Now question how often you dare your mind to do the same? French philosopher Rene Descartes challenges the way people perceive themselves in his iconic metaphor “I think therefore I am,” which derives from his text The Discourse on Method. According to Descartes, convincing oneself of nothing in the world existing does not mean that one fails to exist. Concluding that the self must be convinced of “something” for this concept to apply to them (Centrelli). Continuing with his claim, he implies that a deceiver, whose goal is to insure he indefinitely remains under the reign of deception, can continue to do so because he will never find himself to believe he is nothing while
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He hides under the idea that he refuses to become how his deceivers wish to see him, and although that may be true, he is also acting as a deceiver to himself. This is presented in Ayers ‘Cogito Ergo Sum’ “For I must exist in order even to conceive that I do not. And so, according to Descartes, one may draw the conclusion that ‘this proposition, I am, I exist is necessarily true, each time it is expressed by me, or conceived in my mind’” (27). The context in which “I think therefore I am,” in Descartes’ text highlights how he is who he believes he is. But, Lakoff and Johnson write, “In allowing us to focus on one aspect of a concept, a metaphorical concept can keep us from focusing on other aspects that are inconsistent with that metaphor”(10). Likewise, with this metaphor, Descartes becomes inconsistent by admitting that others have the ability to make him who he is, which is stated in Centrelli’s article, “Let him deceive me all he can, he will never make it the case that I am nothing while I think that I am something”(1). Moreover, he remains inconsistent by accepting the fact that he deceives himself in order to be something more accepting in his eyes; all of which is hidden by the main metaphor which suggests that he is the only one in control of who he can
He hides under the idea that he refuses to become how his deceivers wish to see him, and although that may be true, he is also acting as a deceiver to himself. This is presented in Ayers ‘Cogito Ergo Sum’ “For I must exist in order even to conceive that I do not. And so, according to Descartes, one may draw the conclusion that ‘this proposition, I am, I exist is necessarily true, each time it is expressed by me, or conceived in my mind’” (27). The context in which “I think therefore I am,” in Descartes’ text highlights how he is who he believes he is. But, Lakoff and Johnson write, “In allowing us to focus on one aspect of a concept, a metaphorical concept can keep us from focusing on other aspects that are inconsistent with that metaphor”(10). Likewise, with this metaphor, Descartes becomes inconsistent by admitting that others have the ability to make him who he is, which is stated in Centrelli’s article, “Let him deceive me all he can, he will never make it the case that I am nothing while I think that I am something”(1). Moreover, he remains inconsistent by accepting the fact that he deceives himself in order to be something more accepting in his eyes; all of which is hidden by the main metaphor which suggests that he is the only one in control of who he can