Rather more than
But some care is needed in using Descartes' argument. 'I think, therefore I am' says rather more than is strictly certain. It might seem as though we were quite sure of being the same person today as we were yesterday, and this is no doubt true in some sense.
[Problems of Philosophy - Bertrand Russell, Chapter II]
What does "says rather more than" mean? I don't understand that expression. Could you explain it to me?
I understand it as : It is certain that "I think, therefore I am" have more deep meaning than what I assume when I hear it
Top answer
Not exactly. "Rather more" is an understated way of saying "a lot more". " He was establishing a cornerstone on which to build his philosophy, not making some grand assumption that human thought has the magical ability to bestow reality.
- Not exactly.
- "Rather more" is an understated way of saying "a lot more".
- " He was establishing a cornerstone on which to build his philosophy, not making some grand assumption that human thought has the magical ability to bestow reality.
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Not exactly. "Rather more" is an understated way of saying "a lot more". The famous saying of Descartes' is supposed to settle the question of existence, but Russel is saying that it does not, because it assumes things that are not certain, such as the continuity of our identities,
By the way, Descartes was actually saying in one moment, for one purpose, "I am thinking, therefore I am."
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