 As the canonical formulation has it, I think therefore I am (Latin: cogito ergo sum; French: je pense, donc je suis) – a formulation does not expressly appear in the Meditations. Descartes regards the ‘cogito’ (as it is often referred to) as the “first and most certain of all to occur to anyone who philosophizes in an orderly way” (Prin. 1:7, AT8a:7, CSM 1:195). Is the great certainty of the cogito supposed to attach to the “I think,” the “I am,” or the “therefore” (i.e., their logical relation)? Presumably, it must attach to all of these, if the cogito is to play the foundational role Descartes assigns to it. But this answer can seem to depend on whether the cogito is understood as an inference or an intuition – an issue we address below.