Topic > Exploring the concept of "self" in modern philosophy

The truth of oneself makes it visible in the face of absurd events in life in which all ethical questions vanish. It's not always possible to pinpoint a specific trait or core essence that you discover, but it's often described as "finding yourself." In the religious context, the essential self would be considered soul. While for some there is no concept such as self as they believe that humans are just animals trapped in the mechanistic world. However, modern philosophy sheds a positive light and tries to prove the existence of a self. Modern philosophers, Descartes and Hume in particular, draw on the notion of the transcendental self, the thinking self, and the empirical self, the self of public life. Hume's bundle theory serves here as a distinction between these two notions and even when both of these conceptions in their distinction make valid points, neither is more accurate. A self is a kind of inner being or principle, essential but not identical with the person as a whole. It is that in a person who thinks and feels. The self is usually conceived in philosophy as that which is referred to by the word “I”. It is that part or those aspects of a person that account for personal identity over time. Despite all the ways one can change over time, the self is invariably the same over time. A self is what should explain the fact that an individual is the same person today as he was when he was five years old, given that all his characteristics have changed over time. For example, compared to his childhood, this individual is stronger, taller and more intelligent; he has different aspirations and dreams, different thoughts and fears, his interests and activities are noticeably different. Yet he is still the same… middle of paper… he struggled with the nature of human beings, particularly with the concept of “self.” What Plato called “soul,” Descartes called “mind,” while Hume used the term “self.” This self, often visible during difficulties, is that of which one can be certain, whose existence is beyond doubt. Descartes' “I think, therefore I am” concept of the transcendental self with only the conscious mind is too simplistic to capture the entire self. Likewise, the idea of ​​the empirical self of the brain being responsible for its own self also shows a narrow perspective. Hume's bundle theory attempts to provide the distinction by arguing that a self is simply a habitual way of discussing certain perceptions. Although the idea of ​​the self is well established, philosophical intuition still sees that there is no clear presentation of the essential self and therefore fails to demonstrate that the true essential self actually exists..