Non‐Cartesian Substance Dualism
May 10, 2018 E. Lowe
The author argues that the self, if it is a substance, must be a simple substance entirely lacking substantial parts. Concepts like a will without an intellect or a language module without belief and desire are dismissed as nonsense. The author rejects the Humean bundle theory of the self as incoherent. While clinical conditions such as multiple personality or schizophrenia might suggest divided selves, the author contends such talk should not be taken literally; a divided consciousness is consistent with self-identity, but radical disunity of beliefs and values is not. The simplicity of the self explains its unity, as actions cannot be ascribed to different internal parts.