Felicitations philosophers! New year, new grounds to explore. This week we are taking a tour, inwards to the seat of the Self. Sounds fancy huh ? The idea of conciousness was touched on briefly in the follow up post of Gold Soul Theory, allow me to elaborate. To really delve into the concept of self the phenomenon of conciousness and awareness will also be explored.
Who am I ?
A simple enough question that can be answered in a multitude of ways. Some will reach for their name, their race, their profession, but here we are enquiring on a primal level. Take a moment to think of an answer.
Who am I ?
The concept of self and conciousness falls under a large branch of philosophy pertaining to identity. René Descartes a famous French philosopher dubbed as the father of modern western philosophy was best known for his philosophical proposition:
“ Cogito ergo sum – I think, therefore I am”
Descartes, through his methodical skepticism came to the conclusion that our imperfect ways of knowing made it impossible for us to know anything. The basis of methodical skepticism meant questioning everything that had been accepted as truth or knowledge. Descartes came to the conclusion by virtue of his ability to question everything that he without a shadow of a doubt exists.
- There are widely accepted truths and knowledge
- By virtue of time and research these things can be disproved
- Accepted truths and knowledge can be disproved through questioning
- To question existence, there must be an existing entity to ask these questions
- We are capable of asking such questions
- We exist
Descartes was alike the view of Plato pertaining to a physical realm (world of ideas) and a non physical realm (world of ideas). He also believed there were various axioms of geometry which could not be disputed such as:
- A triangle has three sides
- A square has four sides
** & no a rectangle is not a square, another prerequisite of a square are that all sides are of equal length. Mathematics was also seen as a form of objective truth as no matter an individual’s faculty of perception or level of delusion, it’s foundations are universal.
Identity
Existential crisis averted, we now turn to the problem of identity. The problem of continuation arises when delving into the realm of the self. Am I the same person I was when I was 5 years old ? Physically I was significantly different ( noticeably shorter for one) and holding different world views, thinking different thoughts and feeling different emotions. So am I still the same person ? And if so is there something constant that makes me, me? What is it ?
Let’s look at an example:
There is a ship called the El Pescado commisioned for the high seas. As the years go by and the ship is subject to wear and tear, parts of the ship are removed and replaced. First the hull, then the sails and eventually every single part of that ship has been replaced.
Is it still the same ship ?
Now if we were approaching the problem of identity from solely a physical stance, surely it cannot be the same ship as none of the original parts have been retained. Now a ship is altogether very different from the likes of a human . That is, if we are to consider the likes of conciousness and the possibility of a non physical counterpart which we will refer to as the soul.
Let’s take the example of the ship but instead focus on a human:
There is a human named Roberta. Roberta undergoes a myriad of surgeries which gradually replaces all her limbs and organs with metal parts. People now call her Robota (haha). Is Roberta still the same person ?
* cue the introduction of all kinds of loopholes
Disclaimer
- Roberta retains all her memories
- Roberta is capable of feeling emotion i.e compassion, sadness, elation etc.
***
Another example Alphonse Elric – no body, just a soul bound to some armour.
***
Descartes was also in agreement there was a non physical soul and postulated it most probably resided in the pineal gland.
#decalcifyyourthirdeye #saynotofluoride
Let’s take another stance, ultimately in the problem of identity we are looking for something uniquely distinctive about an individual. We’ve already considered the physical parts of a human and can at least be in agreement due to the nature of a constantly evolving body this cannot be the constant that makes you, you. What else can we consider – our thoughts. Briefly lets conduct a little experiment:
Look around your room
Notice a narration? That is the mind doing what the mind does. Note how thoughts seemingly unrelated to the narration of your surroundings interrupt. Our thoughts perhaps random, funny, distressing or absurd are a culmination of judgements, observations and recollections. Of which most of the time we have little or no control over, now we can agree those thoughts are yours but is that the constant that makes you, you ?Or perhaps its your emotions, your most recurrent feelings and patterns of behaviour, is that you ?
If we were to disregard the incessant chatter and the fleeting nature of emotions. What is constant that makes you, you?
Consciousness & Awareness
What is existence without the phenomenom of consciousness and awareness?
If we were to use our faculty of perception as a means of establishing conciousness, what of those who are unable to use the full scope of their senses. The majority of us experience life mainly through two main senses sight and hearing. For the deaf and blind, could they then be considered any less conscious ? Or those who are considered to be in a vegetative state, do they cease to exist ? Consciousness is the ability to be aware. Awareness is born from separateness, can a fibre perceive it is a fibre without the quality of separateness to observe itself ?
The introduction of a non physical counterpart such as the soul serves as a plausible separate entity ( by virtue of its non physical nature). We as humans can consider ourselves conscious through the observation of the world, our thoughts and emotions due to the separateness of our souls.
The soul’s ability to reside within the physical and be aware of our individual thoughts and emotions is unique to each person. Could this be the constant we’ve been searching for ?
- The soul is a non physical counterpart
- The world of senses is subject to decay
- The non physical is not bound by natural law in the world of senses
- The soul is from the world of ideas (immutable)
- The world of ideas is objective, eternal and constant
- Forms residing in the world of ideas share those qualities
- The soul is constant
***
In a further post, we will delve into the idea of the seat of the Self and the possible genesis of thought. The mystery of awareness and consequently the power of objectivity will also be explored as we go deeper into the realm of Self.
– the observer
‘Ave a gander
- Discourse on the Method René Descartes
- The untethered soul Michael Singer
For your listening pleasure:
The Chill Pill Experiment Hawk House
Liveation Hawk House
Hopeful Alfa Mist ft. Jordan Rakei
Full Metal Curren$y & Alchemist
Borderline with my atoms Hiatus Kaiyote
Childsplay IAMDDB
thefulbe 