Kant Had it Backwards

ByMatthew

“‎The ‘I think’ which Kant said must be able to accompany all my objects, is the ‘I breathe’ which actually does accompany them.” – William James

I have long thought that Kant had it wrong when he said “I think, therefore I am.” Sometime not long after my Intro to Philosophy course at Hobart College I started think that it was the other way ’round – that we are, therefore we think.

I much prefer the implications of our beingness coming from something other than thought, like a timeless, effortless Source:

I am, therefore I think.

Similar Posts

  • Failure

    ByMatthew

    “I’m a failure.” I failed. Things didn’t turn out exactly like I thought at the outset. I learned something about my goal and my choices along the way. There is no such thing as “failure;” everything produces results. I have examined my inputs (thoughts, beliefs, exclusions, inclusions, emotions, moods, choices and non-choices) and results. I…

  • Why Goals Matter

    ByMatthew

    People with goals succeed because they know where they’re going. – Earl Nightingale Doing what I do and having read what I’ve read, I’ve noticed that there’s a great deal of debate on how to do goals properly. But what I’ve found is that the great “difference” isn’t between the different ways to set and achieve…

  • On To Prosperity

    ByMatthew

    I found this in my “share-with-others” pile and am pleased to offer it now; it was an e-mail from a mentor, Steve Chandler: Get out of the future, stay in the now. You want to glance into the future when you make your goals, your objectives, your master plan, but then set that aside and…

  • Never Waste a Calamity

    ByMatthew

    Every calamity is a spur and a valuable hint. – Emerson Yes, I am riffing off the recent political meme in the post title. (“Never let a crisis go to waste.” (Attributed, I believe, to Rahm Emanuel).) That aside, Emerson’s words are an extremely valuable reminder. We ignore “failures” and “calamities” at our peril. Every…