Descartes’ cogito: inference or intuition? Anonymous College

The kind of reasoning utilized by Descartes in order to arrive at his conclusion of the cogito has been questioned since its initial publication in The Discourse on the Method. The conjunction 'ergo' suggests the formula of an inference, that Descartes has concluded his existence from a premise. Yet, Descartes himself seems to deny the use of this kind of deductive reasoning favouring the idea that the conclusion stems from intuition. In this essay, I will seek to examine the potential issues with claiming the cogito conclusion to have been inferred and question whether the argument from intuition carries any more weight. Ultimately, I believe that once all has been considered, it has to be asserted that Descartes concludes 'I think, therefore I am' intuitively.

Before engaging in an exploration of the place of intuition and inference within the cogito reasoning, it is perhaps worth briefly and clearly summarising the question. Hatfield explains it succinctly: '...where does the conclusion get its force? Does it follow from a logical argument, that is, by deductive inference from the premise "I think", perhaps with other premises? Or is it somehow known immediately, through the mere awareness of some thoughts?' (Hatfield, G....