Credo Ut Intellegam

Credo Ut Intellegam means "I believe in order that I might understand." The maxim is attributed to Anselm who himself borrowed the language from St. Augustine. The saying places the starting point of epistemological inquiry outside the finite, human knower. It is contrary to the Cartesian statement, Cogito Ergo Sum, "I think therefore I am," in which the knower is the starting point.