In philosophy, the Cartesian other, part of a
thought experiment
A thought experiment is a hypothetical situation in which a hypothesis, theory, or principle is laid out for the purpose of thinking through its consequences.
History
The ancient Greek ''deiknymi'' (), or thought experiment, "was the most anc ...
, is any other than the mind of the individual thinking about the experiment. The Other includes the individual's own body. According to the philosopher
Descartes, there is a divide intrinsic to consciousness, such that you cannot ever bridge the space between your own consciousness and that of another.
This "other" is in essence theoretical, since one cannot ever be
empirically shown such an "other."
Put differently, Descartes concluded ''
cogito ergo sum
The Latin , usually translated into English as "I think, therefore I am", is the "first principle" of René Descartes's philosophy. He originally published it in French as , in his 1637 ''Discourse on the Method'', so as to reach a wider audien ...
'', "I think, therefore I am," that is, that the presence of a self of which to speak (an "I") proves its existence to oneself; however, according to his
Wax Argument
The wax argument or the ball of wax example is a thought experiment that René Descartes created in the second of his '' Meditations on First Philosophy''. He devised it to analyze what properties are essential for bodies, show how uncertain our kn ...
, one could never similarly demonstrate the existence of the "other."
René Descartes
Concepts in epistemology
Thought experiments in philosophy of mind
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