Transcendence of the Ego (The Non‐Existent Knight)
Ratio November 17, 2004 DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9329.2004.00265.x (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 38 |
| Key points | Argues that the self exists but is not identical with any thing among things, and proposes that the self 'manifests itself' through the things associated with it, a relation that admits of degrees. The author contends that puzzles about volitional action, supervenience, observability, and the emergence of consciousness dissolve on inspection. |
Abstract
Abstract I exist, but I am not a thing among things; X exists if and only if there is something such that it=X. This is consistent, and it is a view that can be supported. Calvino’s novel The Non‐Existent Knight can be read so as to illustrate this view. But what is my relation to the things there are if I am not identical with any of them – things such as my arms, my garden, the city I live in? I name this the Gurduloo problem, after the Knight’s page. This relation must be one that admits of degrees; I suggest that we say that I manifest myself through the things thus associated with me. Several pseudo‐problems, pertaining to volitional action, supervenience, observability, and the emergence of consciousness, dissolve upon inspection.