Certainty and Autonomy

Disembodiment in Modern Philosophy begins when Descartes, who, at the beginning of the Meditations, is surely sitting at a desk writing, represents himself as gazing at a fire.  Likewise, Locke, who is similarly situated, represents a blank page as a blank mind, and his filling it with words as receiving impressions. Now, searching for Certainty from Descartes' actual immediate situation can lead to the seemingly patent falsehood of "I am not writing this", and, hence to the indubitable "I write, therefore I am".  Still, one might be dreaming, or one's hand might be under the control of some external force, e. g. in the case of so-called 'automatic writing'.  But such doubt can be thwarted by an attempt to stop writing.  Now, the attempt may fail, but in itself, success or failure, it certainly occurs.  Hence, regardless of whether success or failure is dependent on external intervention or a healthy Motor system, the attempt itself remains in one's control.  Thus, in a re-embodied context, Certainty. supreme value of Modern Philosophy, is revealed to be Autonomy, as emerges in Kant's system, and as is clear to Nietzsche.