Descartes’ Cogito, ergo sum meaning ‘I think, therefore I am’ is widely recognised as a foundation of all of our knowledge.

Descartes sought to demolish his beliefs and start again from the foundations acknowledging that once foundations of a building are undermined, anything built on them collapses. The terminology and analogy relate to the starting point and sequence involved in constructing a building. Buildings are durable, can stand the test of time and are resilient to external elements. Foundations are the initial stage of construction, located at the base and inform the integrity of what may built on top of them. One may then conclude that Descartes sought to set a knowledge base point that was reliable, durable, could withstand the test of time and be resilient to external elements. A point from which he could build upon and grow.

The cogito, I think, therefore I am, was arrived at through an iterative process of questioning, qualifying, concluding and re-examining. The subsequent self-analysis traversed questioning his senses, trusting his mental capacity, awareness of dreaming, the nature of questions and disciplines, through to the existence of God and creation of imperfect beings with habits and finally the evolution of an evil demon. By traversing this journey and analysing his basic principles, Descartes found himself delving deeper into his foundational beliefs until he questioned his very existence. In turn, the revelation that I think, therefore I am became a self-fulfilling validation, an unshakable certainty, and thus a foundation of knowledge whereby so long as one is thinking, one existed.

With the glut of information and widespread proliferation of technology across society, the general peak of human cognitive function may have been reached. Recent academic studies have shed light on this: Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt when Using an AI Assistant for Essay Writing Task, 2025 (Kosmyna, N, Et al.) and The Memory Paradox: Why Our Brains Need Knowledge in an Age of AI, 2025 (Oakley, B, Et al.).

These studies concluded that brain connectivity systematically scaled down with the amount of external support from search engines or Artificial Intelligence (AI) Large Language Models (LLM) and underuse of the brain’s memory systems undermines reasoning, impedes learning, and diminishes productivity.

We are avoiding the experiences that develop grit?

Returning to Descartes insights, that the act of thinking confirms one’s existence, could society be losing what it means to exist? By diluting our thinking, by outsourcing it, are we turning our backs on one of the fundamental characteristics of being human?

If I don’t think, am I not?