溫故知新 Old wisdom, today’s insight — ONGO
What Makes Me Certain That I Am
When I doubt everything, what is the "I" that cannot be doubted?
I think, therefore I am.
Descartes deliberately doubted everything to find something certain — the senses, the world, even mathematics might be the deception of an evil demon. Yet even while being deceived, one fact stood firm: there is an "I" being deceived. Here the modern self was born. But rebuttal came quickly. Hume said that however hard he looked inward, he found no fixed "thinking self," only passing impressions. Lichtenberg quipped that we should say "it thinks," not "I think"; and Nietzsche called the subject "I" an illusion produced by grammar. The self that had seemed certain began to tremble again.
Even now, when brain science and artificial minds ask the self anew, "what am I?" remains open.
📝I, Too, Stand Before It
When I first read this line I felt relief: even if all the world were a dream, the "I" that doubts it remains. But having passed through Hume and Nietzsche, I know that "I" is not as solid as it seemed. Close your eyes and search for the "thinking self," and all you catch are passing thoughts — the owner who holds them rarely appears. And yet something is here, right now, asking this question. Before that mystery I am still standing.
✍️Your Answer
The lineage of the ancients ends here. Now it is your turn before the question. There is no right answer — only how you, today, would answer.
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This is not a museum of answers but a lineage of questions. All sources are public-domain texts; the lineage and reflection are 100% original ONGO content.
