is the "self" an illusion?

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give me some ideas people... i need to write an essay for philosophy with that topic.

so could the self an illusion?

Reply 1

Amb1

1

abdooooo!!!

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give me some ideas people... i need to write an essay for philosophy with that topic.

so could the self an illusion?

"self"? Hmmm... Everyone has a different idea of what "self" is because everyone is different. I don't think that makes it an illusion though. What do you mean by illusion?

*sorry, I'm not helping am I?!!

Reply 2

abdooooo!!!

OP

Amb1

"self"? Hmmm... Everyone has a different idea of what "self" is because everyone is different. I don't think that makes it an illusion though. What do you mean by illusion?

*sorry, I'm not helping am I?!!

oh... the question basically ask you whether there is or isn't a concrete self.

like what is country? there isn't any one thing we can point to and say thats it... because a country is made of its people, its langauge, culture, geography etc...

so is the so called "self" like that? are we just a bundle of ideas and physical appearance? is there no concrete fact we can identify with self, like some people think they have souls which is the real self... you know.

whats your ideas on this?

Reply 3

starry

Questions like that stress me out majorly.

Reply 4

Amb1

1

abdooooo!!!

oh... the question basically ask you whether there is or isn't a concrete self.

like what is country? there isn't any one thing we can point to and say thats it... because a country is made of its people, its langauge, culture, geography etc...

so is the so called "self" like that? are we just a bundle of ideas and physical appearance? is there no concrete fact we can identify with self, like some people think they have souls which is the real self... you know.

whats your ideas on this?

Oh, I see what you mean. There isn't a concrete self. What is it that makes us who we are? I think it's other people. But then they are the product of other people, who are the product of other people.....etc. Who you are is different in your eyes to others, and no two people will have the same view of who you are. I think self can mean many different things, and I don't believe there is a 'concrete self'. Even if you know your 'self' you will change depending on your experiences.

Reply 5

abdooooo!!!

OP

Amb1

Oh, I see what you mean. There isn't a concrete self. What is it that makes us who we are? I think it's other people. But then they are the product of other people, who are the product of other people.....etc. Who you are is different in your eyes to others, and no two people will have the same view of who you are. I think self can mean many different things, and I don't believe there is a 'concrete self'. Even if you know your 'self' you will change depending on your experiences.

ya, thats my view too.

but if there is no true inner self then what is controlling this self? do you get what i mean... what makes the decisions inside this self?

using the country analogy again, a country makes an important decision based on the politicians judgement on public oponions, so its the prime minister who makes the final decisions of what to do.

so in a self, what or who is the prime minister or president? could that be your true self?

Reply 6

rIcHrD

abdooooo!!!

ya, thats my view too.

but if there is no true inner self then what is controlling this self? do you get what i mean... what makes the decisions inside this self?

using the country analogy again, a country makes an important decision based on the politicians judgement on public oponions, so its the prime minister who makes the final decisions of what to do.

so in a self, what or who is the prime minister or president? could that be your true self?

If that were the case, then emotions & logic could be considered your government in that they verify all your potential actions, try and postulate the likely consequence and certify that they're acceptable. Acceptability is related to how they affect your feelings (either directly, or indirectly through empathy/sympathy). This is because one is driven to attain happiness/contentment and retain it; absence of these increases suicidal tendency.

Emotions & logic are structured by interactions with society, but are less volatile than experience so form a more permanent 'inner self'. Part of their stability is the genetic basis of feeling and emotion, hence all people have feelings and emotions. There is little variation in many basic responses, but the more complex ones are more dependent on experience.

Reply 7

Eru Iluvatar

18

Concrete self?
How can a self be concrete. It changes forever, as we change through are experience, so no, it is not a concrete thing.
But self identity, identifying yourself as yourself unarguably exists, simply as we all do it.