Event Timeslots (1)
Wednesday
-
What is, if anything, the self? In this seminar, we will investigate competing attempts to answer this question in contemporary debates. We will consider whether the solution is to be found in memory and the continuity of consciousness, in the stories we can tell others and ourselves about our own lives, in being a biological organism, or in the pre-reflective awareness accompanying experience.
We will also consider arguments that the self is incompatible with a scientific worldview and, therefore, there is no such thing as the self. Conversely, we will look at arguments for pluralism, according to which no single theory is uniquely correct because the right approach is the integration of various proposals. Lastly, we will consider exotic (i.e., non-mainstream) theories of the self, such as the extended self view.
Literature: The reading list will be provided on Moodle before the start of the course.
Language of Instruction: English.
Office hours: please contact me via email to request a meeting.