What is the self and how can we know it, or can we know it at all - Term Paper Example

Topic:  What is the self and how can we know it, or can we know it at all? The philosophical concept of self is the notable essential qualities and attributes making an individual person different from any other person. It can also be asserted that the individual self is mainly the source of consciousness responsible to what a person thinks as well as the decisions made when ascribing to it (Mitchell 25). Ascribing from the above definition it can be argued that the self refers to what someone perceives or thinks about himself. The self concept can be known when one becomes aware of oneself. An individual can know this concept when he belief on himself or herself and achieves a higher level of personal attributes awareness. It can be generally the self can be viewed o three strands perspective. First is the physical self who basically comprise the sense of embodiment, psychological self which is the ability to differentiate between self and others (Mitchell 56). Finally is the higher level sense which summarizes the actions attributed to the psychological and the physical self. The self can also be identified by the discourse and the conduct of the individual. In regard to this, the intentions of an individual and the actions which emanates can also be used to describe the self. The identity of the self concept of an individual is determined particularly by the distinct characteristics and attributes of an individual (Mitchell 98). Descartes’ position on self Descartes’ position and perception of self is the ascription of the self to being the transcendent agent which can be referred to as homunculus. Descartes provides that the self is a non-natural entity citing the soul which basically determines the various human components and perceptions. On this agent causation view the concept of free is the cause of the actions which is attributed to the self and that it is free from the natural causation (Mitchell 115). This Descartes’ position on self can be referred to as indeterminism where the argument is basically based on the free will of the individuals. The argument is further based on the moral responsibility and it asserts that the existence of the self leads to existence of the free will which is responsible for an individual actions. This position in is perceived voidable because of the belief of the existence of the soul which basically affect the human way of thinking and how bodies react. The self of an individual is highly connected to the source of the personal identity (Mitchell 120). Descartes’ position on self ascribes to the fact that the soul is relevant in determining the identity of an individual. This is further attributed to the soul imperceptibility and being the source of the identity. The weakness of this view is the fact that the soul may change having the same memoires attributes and the doubt in regard to the change and dynamism of personal behaviors (Mitchell 146). Locke’s empiricism and the self Locke’s empiricism and the self are based on the argument which considers the self as immortal and attributes it to the personal immortality. Locke asserts that the self doesn’t know the nature it ought to have in order to be able to think. The determination of the soul identity is also ascribed since matter is basically in a continuous flux. He further argue that the key to the self of a person is individual is memory. What makes a person attributed to the self is the ability to posses the living awareness of the personal interest which basically makes a person who he or she is. In this Locke’s view of the self the aspect of memory having substantial basis is taken into account. There is the possibility of the self having immortality without opposing anti-dogmatism. The strengths associated to this perception are that it justifies the belief of individual self, its gives a common ground of discussing the validity of the personal self (Mitchell 78). The weaknesses of this stand are that it does not clearly explain the demarcation between the self and the knowledge of things. Finally this view limit the empirical reasoning thus devaluing the key major aspects of the self. Hume’s skepticism about knowing the self Hume begins by arguing that the self is who we imagine and being conscious of every moment. He also asserts of what we feel in existence and continuance in existence and it is certain and evidence beyond demonstration. The self has a perfect identity and it has various aspects opf simplicity (Mitchell 88). The aspect of the self is not experienced and that what is experienced is generally successive and they all entail the self. The self comes along through error and the process of association and this result into establishment of the personal identity. He refers the self in other words to mean a necessary fiction. The weakness of this perception is the fact that the unification of different perceptions is merely a quality to justify the self and that the perception rejects the dialect of logic and organicism. The strength is that the view uses the chain of causation and effects which are major constitute of self or a person (Mitchell 165). Kant’s Transcendental Idealism and the Self Kant’s Transcendental Idealism and the Self provides that the self exists only as a true character taking into account the mental existence, only as the content in the mind and finally as an object for the mind. From this it can be ascribed that the self or the individual sensations or the outer world sense is dependent on the self. The concept of idealism comes along in the context of dependency of the physical world and the state of mind. Kant provides that the self sense of experience depend on time and self consciousness (Mitchell 180)s. Kant’s Transcendental Idealism concerns the mind self of an individual, their cognitive operations, functions and the limitations. The strengths attributed to this are the fact that it illustrates that there is more than the ideas and the self mind which gives a good reason for the existence of the self. The weakness is that it is difficult to prove what is outside the direct personal experience and that the inner experiences that are cognitive can only be possible in the case of presuppose experience of thing beyond the personal self (Mitchell 186). Existentialist view of selfhood The propositions of this view of the selfhood are the existence of a person as and individual himself or herself. The selfhood of an individual is asserted to be acting independently and that a person exists as a conscious being. It also provides that the actual life of a person comprises of his or her true essence and not the attributes of others (Mitchell 198). The selfhood in the humans is determined by the self consciousness where they create their own values which define their meaning of life. Authentic existence is constituted in the context where a person is defining himself or herself (Mitchell 200). Therefore it can be argued from this view that a person selfhood is responsible for defining their new identity. Authenticity is an important aspect in defining the selfhood in the context of this view where a person acts on behalf of oneself. The strength of this view is attributed to its explanation using facts on the existence objectivity while the weakness is their poor analysis of the being concerning the selfhood misusing the verb to be (Mitchell 202). Conclusion Kant’s Transcendental Idealism and the Self can be considered the best theory explaining selfhood. Its interpretations and explanations meet the requirements of objectivity and the individual self-consciousness is responsible for the global self-consciousness. This provides a strong objective background to all the limitations as well as the subjectivity claims. This theory also is also supported by empirical realism which provides essential knowledge in various aspects of the selfhood. Work Cited Mitchell, Derek Robert. Heidegger's philosophy and theories of the self. Farnham: Ashgate, 2001. Read More