Rene Descartes Was A . . .

I forget the exact line from that Monty Python song about philosophers. It was a corker, I'm sure.

(Was it, ". . . a drunken fart?")

Ambrose Bierce's "Devils Dictionary" defines Cartesian in the usual way, something that follows Mssr. Descartes' particular philosophy. He's famous for saying:

"Cogito, ergo sum." ("I think, therefore I am.")

Mr. Bierce would improve on this sentiment:

"Cogito  cogito, ergo cogito sum." ("I think that I think, therefore I think that I am.")

I'm with Mr. Bierce on this one. Anyone who is too sure of himself, or too sure that he is right, or way too sure of his own position in just about anything, should be kicked straight in the kneecap.

The most intelligent thing that a human being can do is to doubt himself a little bit.