Is there a self?
Prompt: On Tuesday, we talked about theories that deny the existence of a single continuous self. Derek Parfit (himself a proponent of such a view) says that it is “hard to believe”. Parfit presumably does not mean that there is anything particularly difficult about recognizing abstract arguments in favor of a no-self or bundle theory. Rather, what he means is that such a worldview is difficult to live out consistently. It is difficult to have other attitudes, such as other beliefs, desires, attachments that align with it. The purpose of this prompt is to get you to think about what is at stake in the debate about the existence of the self. I would like you to think about why a no-self or a bundle theory is hard to believe. Why do we think that we are a single continuous self? Why do we care about the notions of the self? What does it do for us? What would truly believing that there is no self involve?
I believe there is a self it's prevalent across most if not in all societies around the world. To challenge that belief would be difficult since there may not be the necessary evidence to prove that the self is just an obstruction or that it doesn’t exist. At the same time, though, how has the evidence we’ve been conditioned to follow of the self being existent and base our whole lives upon it proved of the direct, physical existence of it? How would a lack of ‘self’ change the way in which a society functions? Would it even function? In this way, the self gives purpose to the individual and to a society so without it, the human, in the present time could potentially collapse due to a sense a mass population feeling insignificant. Believing there is no self as a society and individually may also shut down many belief systems and personal ideals that are rooted in the presence of a self. There are various qualities in each person that are what embody their ‘self’. For example, one’s race, religious/spiritual beliefs, and culture in general are one of the constructs of the self that may or may not exist. As we talked about in plenary, what would happen if you found out you only had years to live. How would your life change? The same could be said with ‘the self’. If your beliefs about one of the deepest core components in the way in which one lives were contested, how would one live their life in the future? Without purpose, many societal systems, whose core qualities rely on the existence of a self, would collapse. I find myself asking multiple questions and putting them into discourse whether it be in a casual or academic setting. In all settings, the straight-up answer, without hesitation from the people I have talked with is yes, there is a self. Going out of a bubble so concretely maintained for centuries, if not, thousands of years would be a challenge since it’s been curated to motivate the human species to have intention with what they do since they believe that they exist. Or, is your true self an illusion where your mind has constantly been covering its falsity through generations with memories and thoughts?
