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Philosophy

jrlewis's picture

“I think;

Therefore, I am,”

Said the philosopher, Renee Descartes.

 

“I think;

Therefore, I am;

Therefore, I can change who I am,”

Argued the neurobiologist, Paul Grobstein. 

 

I write;

Therefore, I know;

Therefore, I can change what we know.

Might the poet, Martin Espada, write. 

Comments

jrlewis's picture

Brain Damaged

Perhaps I write; therefore I know is too personal. What I think in my own mind is ephemeral. Most thoughts I forget. This is true even of important thoughts, meaningful thoughts. When I committ a thought to writing it gains permanence. The page is something I can return to time and again, something separate from myself. It is precisely because I am questioning and changing that I value old drafts and old thoughts.

interloper's picture

ipso facto

I write;

Therefore, I remember;

Therefore, I can change what I know.

Might the poet, Julia Lewis, write. 

interloper's picture

Changing what I know

This poem has really made me think. The concept of "I write; therefore I know" is a statement that I have been pondering. In my case, I could just as easily say "I write; therefore I question", because writing to me is usually a search for answers.

In either case, the result is changing what I know.