Inthenextplace, IattentivelyexaminedwhatIwasandasIobservedthatIcouldsupposethatIhadnobody, andthattherewasnoworldnoranyplaceinwhichImightbe; butthatIcouldnotthereforesupposethatIwasnot; andthat, onthecontrary, fromtheverycircumstancethatIthoughttodoubtofthetruthofotherthings, itmostclearlyandcertainlyfollowedthatIwas; while, ontheotherhand, ifIhadonlyceasedtothink, althoughalltheotherobjectswhichIhadeverimaginedhadbeeninrealityexistent, IwouldhavehadnoreasontobelievethatIexisted; IthenceconcludedthatIwasasubstancewhosewholeessenceornatureconsistsonlyinthinking, andwhich, thatitmayexist, hasneedofnoplace, norisdependentonanymaterialthing; sothat “I,” thatistosay, themindbywhichIamwhatIam, iswhollydistinctfromthebody, andisevenmoreeasilyknownthanthelatter, andissuch, thatalthoughthelatterwerenot, itwouldstillcontinuetobeallthatitis.
AfterthisIinquiredingeneralintowhatisessentialtothetruthandcertaintyofaproposition; forsinceIhaddiscoveredonewhichIknewtobetrue, , thereforeIam, thereisnothingatallwhichgivesmeassuranceoftheirtruthbeyondthis, thatIseeveryclearlythatinordertothinkitisnecessarytoexist, IconcludedthatImighttake, asageneralrule, theprinciple, thatallthethingswhichweveryclearlyanddistinctlyconceivearetrue, onlyobserving, however, thatthereissomedifficultyinrightlydeterminingtheobjectswhichwedistinctlyconceive.
