I Think, Therefore I Am | Part 1

The Crisis That Gave Birth to Modern Philosophy

Episode 2.69

Before René Descartes ever said “I think, therefore I am,” Western thought was already in crisis.

For nearly two thousand years, Aristotle’s philosophical system shaped how the West understood knowledge, reality, ethics, and even science. But between the 1500s and 1600s, that system collapsed—undermined by the scientific revolution and shaken by the realization that trusted authorities could be wrong.

In this episode, Michael and Zach trace:

-Aristotle’s dominance in medieval thought

-His rediscovery and integration into Christian theology

-The cracks introduced by nominalism and internal scholastic tensions

-The decisive blow dealt by Copernicus, Galileo, and Kepler

-The resulting crisis of knowledge that split Europe into empiricist and rationalist camps

This is the story of how the West lost its shared foundation for truth—and why Descartes’ famous line was not arrogance, but desperation.

Part 1 sets the stage for the modern philosophical divide and prepares the ground for Descartes’ attempt to rebuild certainty from the ground up.

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