Thought and existence of don Quixote, a reading from the cartesian cogito

Abstract

The present reflection paper compares the concept of the cartesian cogito ergo sum with the character don Quixote de La Mancha from the concepts of thought and existence, seeking to offer an answer to the question: is there in don Quixote a representation of the cartesian cogito? Initially, a brief conceptualization of how the cogito is understood is proposed within the Meditations on the First Philosophy (2009), proposing two moments based on the idea of God. Subsequently, the thought and existence described for don Quixote in the Cervantes novel is analyzed through the gaze of the narrator, the other characters, the figure of the enchantress and the protagonist’s own speeches. Finally, in the conclusions, we compare the understanding and functioning 3 En lo sucesivo, se utilizará «don Quijote» con inicial minúscula para hacer referencia al personaje cervantino y «el Quijote» como título abreviado para aludir a la obra. of the idea of God or the enchanter, the distinction between an abstract thought and a concrete one, the relationship between thinking and existing and, at last, we answer the initial question.