Enlightenment

During the Enlightenment (A period of time, not to be confused with the Eastern Religious idea of being Enlightened =p), people tried to build up everything from a single Truth which they know Must be true. The idea was, if there was any One thing that you can absolutely know, then you can know other things from that and everything else you know, you will know to be absolutely true.

So the search began. And it ended on 3 words: Corgito Ego Sums

I think, Therefore I am.

Here, "I am" means that I exist. In other words, the one thing that they found that they will definitely know is that they exist. I mean, no matter what else you are (say, a brain in a vat, or a computer program - anyone remember the Matrix?), you would have to exist in order to think right? And you are thinking, right? So you must exist.

Corgito Egro Sums

---------

But there is an assumption that everyone had to make before coming to this conclusion. And that is that there is something called Logic. It is by Logic that you can reason that unless you exist, you cannot think. And this Logic must be Absolute. It is not a convention, it is not from observation (I mean, no one observes logic); yet it is obeyed.

Where did Logic come from?

What is Logic?

Why should we trust it?

The last question is perhaps the most problematic of all.. Why should we trust Logic?

---------

In the Beginning was Logos (the Word)...