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DVD 4, “Is There an Enduring Self?” explores the philosophy of self, specifically in regard to the existence of an eternal and inherent sense of ‘self’.
The DVD begins by establishing the instinctive, perhaps most commonly held assertion, by which there exists an intrinsic and constant element that distinguishes an individual. Yet, when attempting to defend such a position philosophically, difficulties arise: it is challenging to find introspectively this ‘self,’ and it seems paradoxical for one to possess an enduring self whilst simultaneously being in a constant state of change.
Philosophers both historical and contemporary have struggled with the idea of an eternal self. Greek philosopher Socrates held that each day a “new man” is born within an individual and “the old man ceases to exist,” both physically and spiritually; thereby, as components are constantly growing and disappearing within one, an enduring self cannot exist.
Contemporarily, the problem of self has manifested into discussions concerning the legal system? Klaus Barbie, once an SS-Hauptsturmführer and Gestapo membe...

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