The Logical Impossibility of Skepticism : The Doubtability of the Cogito

Title: The Logical Impossibility of Skepticism: The Doubtability of the Cogito Author: Heesung Lim (Independent Scholar) This paper investigates the fundamental contradictions inherent in modern skepticism, primarily focusing on the deconstruction of René Descartes' "Cogito, ergo sum." While Descartes is hailed as the father of modern skepticism, this study argues that he failed to apply the rigorous standards of doubt to the act of thinking itself, thereby tarnishing the essence of true skepticism. The author identifies three critical flaws in the Cartesian foundation. First, a category error occurs in the illicit leap from an ideal activity (thinking) to a materialistic state (existence) without the mediation of precise axioms. Second, the transparency of thought is challenged by the possibility of cognitive manipulation and the prospect of thought as a "nothingness" (無) or a linguistic illusion, as suggested by Nietzsche and Hume. Third, the paper exposes the temporal discontinuity of the self, arguing that the Cogito provides only a transient certainty of a fleeting moment rather than proof of a sustained existence. In conclusion, the paper asserts that skepticism as defined by Descartes is not a genuine pursuit of doubt but a dogmatic retreat into an arbitrary sanctuary of certainty. By sanctifying the "act of doubting" while ignoring the potential manipulability and insubstantiality of thought, skepticism inevitably leads to self-destruction or nihilistic extinction. This study calls for a reconsideration of the limits of human reason and the inherent impossibility of a skepticism that refuses to doubt its own cognitive foundations.