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QUOTE 6 from:

Lucas, C. (2001a) Complexity Theory: Actions for a better world [online]. Available from: http://www.calresco.org/action.htm#pro; accessed on 28/2/05

I Think Therefore I'm Not
When Descartes derived his famous saying "Cogito Ergo Sum" ("I Think Therefore I Am") he locked the Western world into a non-systemic delusion from which they have yet to recover. By divorcing his rational ego from his body and from the wider world he created a form of individualism quite contrary to reality itself. Not only was his body also necessary for thought, but the language used (Latin) was a social creation. Additionally, his ability to 'philosophise' (an abstract need) depended upon a natural support ecosystem that provided the very air he required to stay alive. Denial of obvious connections has been a feature of dualist science and philosophy ever since. Eastern traditions however recognise more clearly the interconnected nature of all these aspects of our world, and this is also the view apparent from a systems perspective. A key aspect of this is that 'we' are not static, the "I" of Descartes was a continually evolving process and not a constant 'thing', whether this was conceived of as being in this world or outside it.

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