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Cogito: From Descartes to Sartre

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Frontiers of Philosophy in China

Abstract

Cogito, as the first principle of Descartes’ metaphysical system, initiated the modern philosophy of consciousness, becoming both the source and subject of modern Western philosophical discourse. The philosophies of Maine de Biran, Kant, Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, Merleau-Ponty, and others developed by answering the following questions? Is consciousness substantial or not? Does consciousness require the guarantee of a transcendental subject? Is Cogito epistemological or ontological? Am I a being-for-myself or a being-for-others? Outlining the developmental history of the idea of Cogito from Descartes to Sartre is important for totally comprehending the evolution and development of Western philosophy.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Philosophy, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China

    Mo Weimin

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  1. Mo Weimin
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Correspondence to Mo Weimin.

Additional information

Translated by Wang Wei from Xueshu Yuekan 学术月刊 (Academic Monthly), 2006, (3): 69–76

This paper is supported by a national project (No. 05FCZD0010) granted by the Innovation Base of Philosophy and Social Science.

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Mo, W. Cogito: From Descartes to Sartre. Front. Philos. China 2, 247–264 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11466-007-0016-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11466-007-0016-0

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