Week 2 - The Self

Question 1

Ego theory

Answer 1

We have a soul and self ( can have self with cinsciousnsess)

Question 2

Bundle theory

Answer 2

We dont have a soul ir self (cant have self without consciousnses)

Question 3

Cartesian theatre

Answer 3

Humonclusu control our actions

Question 4

Material selves

Answer 4

Strange loop (douglas hofstader): self emerges from a mind capable if self reference and can perceive and act on its own.

• self is just a symbol (form symbols of our self the same way we do with other poeple)
• douvle conscioussness: seeing urself thiugh perspective of others.

Question 5

Material selves types: antonio damsio

Answer 5

1. Protoself: passive feelings (primary conscioussness)
2. Coreself: active monitering and modifying of feelings and sensations (secondary conscioussness)
3. Autobiographical self:timeline of memories we have of ourselves across lifespan.

Question 6

It doesn’t matter if determinism is true or false, because

either way we have the kind of free will that matters

Answer 6

• The mnemonic self: your autobiographical memories, organized into a coherent narrative

• The unified self: i.e. executive functioning; the process which makes
perceptions accessible to reasoning and decision-making

• The vigilant self: the self which forms goals and governs motivations
• The conceptual self: the symbol which represents ourselves conceptually
• The social self: the self which is apparent to other people, ie. our reputation

Question 7

He used introspection on the nature of himself and what he seen was he cannot ever see himself, but only his experiences and thoughts.

He’s never not having perceptions and therefore there’s no evidence for it through introspection
—-> The self is a collection of these diff perceptions.

Answer 7

David hume (bundle theorist)

Question 8

The experience of Self is just another experience which is continuously constructed and interpreted by our brain

Answer 8

Metzinger calls this the Ego Tunnel; Derek Parfit calls this psychological connectedness

Question 9

Buddhism

Answer 9

Atta: metaphorical sould or self, source of thiughts and feelings.
Anatta: self doesnt exist

Question 10

Pattica samuppada aka “conditioned arising” or “dependent origination”

Answer 10

Buddhism emphasizes universal cause and effect, the interdependence of all things without exception:

Question 11

“The Ecological Thought”:

Answer 11

Timothy Morton’s term for thinking and acting while
aware of “the mesh”, ie. the interconnectedness of all beings
- actions are nonlocal

Question 12

Derek parfit

Answer 12

Phsyical and psycological cirteon

Question 13

Do I need to have the exact same personality, or can it change? Does it matter how much it changes?
How fast it changes? How it changes?
• Parfit’s answer:

Answer 13

you’re the same person if you have psychological continuity, and a different person if
you don’t, no matter how it’s achieved or whether it’s “real” (ie. causal)