Renne Descartes (1596–1650) founded modern philosophy

He developed cartesian dualism, the metaphysical argument that the mind and body are two different substances which interact with one another

He most famously said in 1637

Cogito ergo sum

I think therefore I am

………………………….

Cheeky Monkey Poetry first emerged in May 2021

Whilst publishing daily poems, the Cheeky Monkey became fascinated by modern philosophy and launched a quest to develop a 21st century branch of cheeky philosophy

He wanted to convey his ideas about life in poems that were funny, satirical, quirky or downright weird

The Cheeky Monkey would stay up really late at night trying to find the perfect catch phrase

He wrote notes to capture his nocturnal ideas, often while sipping a few single malts

Below are some of his notes which he found the morning after every heavy late night thinking session

I drink therefore I am drunk

I stopped drinking therefore I am sober 

I dream therefore I am asleep

I wonder therefore I am wonderful

I wander therefore I am lost

I think I write decent poetry therefore I am a boastful writer

I write poetry therefore I am happy

I think an awful lot therefore I am tired

I write a lot therefore I am thinking too much

I think differently therefore I am a cheeky monkey

I think about taking out the trash therefore I am a good husband

I think I forgot to take the trash out therefore I am a bad husband

I think very hard therefore I am a rock

I think all the time therefore I am an under achiever

I think aloud therefore I am alone

I think about nothing therefore I am boring

I think about writing therefore I am wasting writing time

I think I wrote something exceptional therefore I am delusional

By mid 2022 the Cheeky Monkey was struggling to keep up the daily writings and undertake philosophical research at the same time

So he took some time off from daily writings to learn Latin in the hope that he would find the perfect words to describe his new philosophy

He found it too hard to think in Latin

Then he did more research and discovered that Descartes was French

And that he thought and wrote in French the famous line Je pense donc Je suis

Which was then translated first into Latin and then into English

The Cheeky Monkey was more comfortable thinking in French because it is his second language

His major breakthrough came in February 2023 when he formally established Cheeky Monkey dualism with the phrase

Je réfléchis avant d'écrire donc je suis poète

For all you Latin scholars out there

Puto igitur ego sum poeta ante scribo

Hopefully nothing is lost in the translation to English

I think before I write therefore I am a poet

Stay Cheeky and practice your Cheeky Monkey dualism daily!