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The excerpt begins with an opposition to the rationalist and existentialist ideologies. In fact, he states that "I", the self in Lacanian terms, is completely independent from the Cogito (Latin for I think). This is a reference to the formulation of the French 17th century philosopher René Descartes: cogito ergo sum, I think therefore I am. Cartesian philosophy claims the only certainty lies in the human capacity for rational thought, the intellect. In fact, he states that the dependence of the I on the Cogito is a false correlation when scrutinized by the psychoanalytical eye.
He then recounts an experiment observed by Wolfgang Köhler, who wrote on the mentality of apes.
A monkey and a young child are placed in front of the mirror. The monkey has more "life experience" than the toddler and yet, past the Aha-Erlebnis (A-ha! experience of recognizing oneself in a mirror) the monkey quickly loses interest in its mirror image, whereas the child engages in playful interaction.......

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Approximate Word Count: 657
Approximate Pages: 3 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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