To many, it may seem others play an important role in the formation of self. When we interact with others, make comparisons with others and live out our social roles we seem to be affected – so we assume that so is the formation of our “self”. In reality, it isn’t affected. With an idealist view of a non-physical self, that also possesses continuity and unity it can be exposed how flawed this view of self is, and how others play no role whatsoever in the formation of the self. However, our sensory knowledge which is deceptive, leads us to believe in an incorrect view of self, causing the illusion of the importance of the role of others in the formation of the self.
Initially, we must realise our view of self may be mistaken, so before looking at the role of others in its formation, we must know: what truly is the self? Generally speaking, there are three main theories concerning the composition of self and the nature of reality. Physicalism/Materialism argues that ultimately everything is composed of only matter and presents a physical material self (the brain and body). Hence, it claims that psychological events can be reduced to physical phenomena in the brain. In addition, it does not account for “qualia” that is the “what it is like” to be something, a materialist ignores the subjective experience of an organism and tries to explain it objectively which would seem impossible (Nagel, T 1979). To account for this, dualism makes dual commitments about the nature of existence as it relates to mind and matter, which are separate non-physical and physical entities (substantialist dualism); therefore the self is composed of both mind and matter. Whilst, dualism does explain the distinction between our mental and physical states it f...
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...w England Armidale: Published by Teaching and Learning Centre UNE Armidale. pp 1-20.
Nagel, T. 1979m “What is it like to be a Bat”, (extracts), in Mortal Questions, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 165 – 180
Dennet, Daniel C. 1981, “Where Am I?”, (extracts), in Brainstorms, Harvester Press, Sussex, pp 310 – 323
The Concept of Eternal Soul or Atman in Hinduism 2008 Available at http://www.hinduwebsite.com/atman.asp (Accessed 13/03/09-15/03/09)
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Real Self and False Self by Dr. K. Sadananda 2009 Available at http://www.advaita.org.uk/discourses/sadananda/self_sadananda.htm (Accessed12/03/09 - 14/03/09)
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Self could be defined in different ways. In John Perry’s “dialogue on personal identity and immorality”, both characters Weirob and Cohen are correct on their argument of personal identity, there are just some imperfections on each of the views. My view of “persons are identical with brains” fills the gaps of ideas of them. Brain is the junction that could bring mind and
In the chapter on Hinduism in Philip Novak’s book The World’s Wisdom the section titled “The Transmigration of the Soul” describes the Hindu concept of reincarnation, the wheel of life, and ultimately becoming one with god. The lines in this passage very concisely describe the Hindu concepts of Brahman, Atman, Samsara, Karma, Maya and Moksha (Molloy). I believe that these concepts are at the core of all of the expressions of the Hindu religion; which makes understanding this paragraph the key to having a basic understanding of the Hindu religion.
In unit one of Interactions, the authors Ann Moseley and Jeanette Harris showed a number of readings about the idea of the self. The self-concept is an important matter because people change with age constantly and their thoughts change as well. There are many factors that can affect any individual’s thought of self-concept such as growing up, life experiences, friends and family, and meeting new people. Moreover, a number of readings in unit one by different authors showing their experiences and struggles with self-concept such as ethnicities, economy status, and self-esteem issue. I have had similar experiences with several authors, which are, “Zero” by Paul Logan, “Living in two worlds” by Marcus Mabry, and “The Jacket” by Gary Soto.
The existence of the soul has perplexed man for ages. Islamic philosopher Avicenna believed that he had proved the existence of the soul with his flying man thought experiment. He claims that the soul is a separate part of the human body that we don’t access. He claims that the flying man lacks knowledge of anything due to his predicament and through this can find the soul. This lack of knowledge makes it impossible for the flying man to actually create an understanding of his own existence and is reliant upon the soul. But the soul proposes an understanding that existence that is either through the body or inconsistent with Avicenna’s own explanation of modern existence. To truly understand the soul man must have full access to all possible knowledge and will inevitably realize that their conscience is immaterial.
Dualism is a broad term that can encompass many areas within philosophy itself. In aspect to metaphysics, it classifies the types of entities in the world into two subcategories, physical and non physical substance. While this may appear to be a very wide and ambiguous opinion, it becomes very specific in regards to our own existence. Paul Churchland puts it very explicitly in his book Matter and Consciousness, and defines dualism as the idea that, “the essential nature of conscious intelligence resides in something nonphysical” (Churchland 1). Though dualism is a highly regarded and popular view on the state of existence, its core arguments present an array of problems that detract from the credibility of its reality.
From society to family to media, external influences never seem to disappear from everyday life. These outward forces tend to leave a lasting impression on us for as long as we live. Because they are so prevalent in our daily lives, exterior factors will have a significant influence on us, specifically our sense of self and happiness. When defining our sense of self, it eventually comes down to how we interpret our individual self-image. In most cases, we do not truly know who we are from our own mindset. Therefore, we take into account the reactions that those around us have an influence on our actions and decisions. From these external effects, we create the persona of who we are. In his article, Immune to Reality, Daniel Gilbert explains
Accordingly, the model would be that a human person is a multi-level being in which there is a kind of ultra-powerful transcendental unity of both apprehension and life and that body is a real but lower appearance and effect of Unity. That Unity used to be called "soul".
The self is something that has been defined as a “relatively stable set of perceptions of who we are in relation to ourselves, others, and to social systems.” It has also been defined as a “primary (although, basic) social identity.” (Jenkins 1996) Identity however, refers to who or what one is and to the various meanings attached to oneself by ourselves and others,
Philosopher Julian Baggini offers an evaluation and personal theory of self in his book The Ego Trick. This paper will summarize key parts of the book and evaluate the soundness of its claims. I have divided my paper into three main parts. The first acts as a primer for later sections, and summarizes the first section of Baggini’s book. The second is a synopsis of Baggini’s main claims. And the third reflects upon the truth of Baggini’s claims.
This relates to absolute reality as the supreme spirit is the abode of the eternal. The self is also known as the soul within The Bhagavad-Gita and the soul is said to be immortal as it exists in one body and reenters another so a person’s soul never actually dies. The text says, “Our bodies are known to end, but the embodied self is enduring, indestructible, and immeasurable,” (2: 18). This quotes shows that our bodies may be destroyed by death, but the inner self is eternal and cannot end. The body dies, but if consciousness occurs then the self sees absolute reality. This leads back to the idea of lucidity since the soul can never die it gives the self a divine aspect and if the self is aware of the supreme self or Brahman then there is an ultimate reality. This is considered to be unattainable since humans are not perfect, but the idea is still present. Overall, the eternal aspect of the soul gives a divine notion to an ultimate reality shown in The
The soul can be defined as a perennial enigma that one may never understand. But many people rose to the challenge of effectively explaining just what the soul is about, along with outlining its desires. Three of these people are Plato, Aristotle, and Augustine. Even though all three had distinctive views, the similarities between their views are strikingly vivid. The soul indeed is an enigma to mankind and the only rational explanation of its being is yet to come and may never arrive.
The concept of the term “self” is a topic that has been analyzed for many years by many people. The self is the whole part of the being that contains the person. This is a very broad topic and although the term is simple it holds a vast amount if information. One of these people is a man by the name of Sigmund Freud. In the paper “The Dissection of the Psychical Personality” written by Freud, uses the term “Psychical Personality,” to explain the human thought processes, thinking and feelings that make up concept of “the self ” part of the person’s personality (Freud, The Dissection of the Psychical Personality, 2004, p. 70). The concept of the structural model of the psyche contains the Id, Ego and Superego, as developed by Freud tries to
In the Gita, Brahman is the supreme and Atman is his spirit in man (Gita 8.3). It is eternal and never dies. As in chapter 2.12 Krishna tells Arjuna we all have been for all time and we all shall be for all time. The self in the Upanishads is very active since Brahman wins a victory for gods (Kena.3.1) and Atman is the charioteer of body (Katha3.3). In both of the texts self is always defined in terms of divine and is tightened to the whole universe...
The concept of the ‘self’ is regarded as an “entity which persists through time and change” (Grayling, pg. 540), in spite of other variations, albeit unnecessary ones, that occur in a person. Ones self is alleged to be the backbone of “thinking, perceiving, memory, and the like – the ultimate ‘bearers’ of our psychological properties.” (Grayling, pg. 540) The idea of ‘self’ is a topic of important philosophical debate, and one which Kant and Hume dexterously engage themselves in. This essay will begin by outlining Hume’s philosophical approach and his theory of self. Following that Kant’s theory of self will be looked at.
...have struggled with the nature of human beings, especially with the concept of “self”. What Plato called “soul, Descartes named the “mind”, while Hume used the term “self”. This self, often visible during hardships, is what one can be certain of, whose existence is undoubtable. Descartes’s “I think, therefore I am” concept of transcendental self with just the conscious mind is too simplistic to capture the whole of one’s self. Similarly, the empirical self’s idea of brain in charge of one’s self also shows a narrow perspective. Hume’s bundle theory seeks to provide the distinction by claiming that a self is merely a habitual way of discussing certain perceptions. Although the idea of self is well established, philosophical insight still sees that there is no clear presentation of essential self and thus fails to prove that the true, essential self really exists.