Self - Philosophical Concept | Alexandria
Self, a singular yet elusive concept, embodies the conscious, reflective entity capable of experiencing life, assigning meaning, and navigating the complexities of existence. Is it merely a construct of thought, or a fundamental aspect of reality? This question has haunted humanity across millennia, defying simple answers and inviting endless exploration.
The earliest intimations of the Self can be traced back to ancient philosophical and religious texts. The Upanishads (c. 800-500 BCE) in India speak of "Atman," the individual self, as ultimately identical to "Brahman," the universal self or cosmic soul, suggesting a radical interconnectedness. Simultaneously, in ancient Greece, pre-Socratic philosophers such as Heraclitus (c. 500 BCE) grappled with the ever-changing nature of identity, famously stating that one cannot step into the same river twice. These early explorations coincide with periods of profound social and political upheaval, including the rise and fall of empires and the burgeoning of democratic ideals – moments ripe for individuals to question their place in the world. The history of ethics hinges on icons like Socrates, whose relentless questioning urged his contemporaries to examine their lives, paving the way for Plato's emphasis on reason and Aristotle's focus on virtue.
Over the centuries, interpretations of the Self have undergone radical transformations. The Enlightenment saw a surge in emphasis of reason and individual rights, exemplified by thinkers like John Locke, who proposed the concept of personal identity rooted in consciousness and memory. However, later, philosophers like David Hume challenged this view, arguing that the Self is merely a bundle of perceptions, lacking any enduring substance. The question of free will has been central to understanding the self, giving rise to ideas such as free-will, determinism, compatibilism, hard determinism and soft determinism. Existentialism, as championed by Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus in the 20th century, emphasized the radical freedom and responsibility of the individual in a meaningless universe, thrusting the Self into a stark and often daunting spotlight. Today, cognitive science and moral psychology continue to probe the workings of the mind and the neural basis of self-awareness, challenging traditional philosophical assumptions. Is the sensation of being a self an illusion produced by the complex workings of the brain? Can artificial intelligence someday possess a Self? The exploration of ethical dilemmas deepens with the introduction of AI, such as ethics in AI, digital ethics, ethics of big data and others.
The continuing mystique of the Self stems from its fundamental role in both personal experience and social interaction. Our sense of Self shapes our perception of the world, our relationships with others, and our pursuit of meaning and purpose. In a world increasingly shaped by technology, where questions of artificial intelligence, virtual identity, ethics of algorithms come to greater significance, the question of what it means to be a Self is more vital than ever. Perhaps the greatest mystery about self lies not in its definition, but in the individual journey of consciousness that composes it.