Structures of the Sense of Self
Symposion 2024 DOI: 10.5840/symposion20241116 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that five 'structures'—including a unified consciousness, self-awareness, and personal identity—are each strictly necessary for an entity to be classified as having a self, and proposes that these structures can serve as a guide for categorizing entities along a spectrum from selfhood to non-selfhood. The author frames this as a meta-theory on the emergence and classification of the self rather than a theory of selfhood. |
Abstract
The ‘self’ does not exist within a vacuum. For an entity to be considered to have a sense of self, it requires certain characteristics and attributes. This paper investigates these ‘structures’ of the sense of self in detail, which range from a unified consciousness to self-awareness to personal identity. The paper details how each attribute and characteristic is strictly necessary for an entity to be classified as having a self, and how the five structures detailed within may be used as a guide for categorising and classifying entities as having selfhood or not (or any point along the spectrum between these). The five structures do not represent a theory of selfhood, but rather a meta-theory on the potential emergence and classification of the self.