Enduring Self Research Paper
For this first essay, you have two options. Pick only one of them:Option 2: Define and explain the three views of the enduring self, and why the question matters in philosophy and in life (minimum 500 words).
The enduring self is a situation where we as individuals believe that we are the same person today as we were ten years ago. There are many different situations that will arise at times during our lives that may change us. With this view there comes several different views of this specific problem. These views include the body as the enduring self, the soul as the enduring self, the memory as the enduring self, or even the view of there being no view of the enduring self.
The first view of the enduring self is the body. As we grow, …show more content…
Unlike the body, the soul we are unable to see, touch, smell and so forth. Since we are unable to see and experience the soul physically, the soul does not change because it is not a physical material part of the body. The only issue is that there is no way to monitor if the soul does or does not change throughout life. As we physically change our appearance and experience the different experiences in life, we are unable to see our soul. How, if possible, does it change? What can change our soul? Since we are not being able to determine the answer to these questions, it is best to say that our soul does not change based on physical changes.
The view of the memory being the enduring self is also another option that has arised. When the memory is the focus of the view of the enduring self it is about focusing on the past events in life. A problem with this view is that we are not always conscious of the events that have occurred in our lives. We like to think that we can remember everything that has ever happened to us, but we are not always able to do that with how our brains are set up with the short term and long term memory.
Another view of the enduring self is that there is no view of the enduring self. Here, in the view that there is no view of the enduring self, the individual does not exist. This view is all about the beliefs. The beliefs of an individual ultimately alter this specific
The enduring self is a situation where we as individuals believe that we are the same person today as we were ten years ago. There are many different situations that will arise at times during our lives that may change us. With this view there comes several different views of this specific problem. These views include the body as the enduring self, the soul as the enduring self, the memory as the enduring self, or even the view of there being no view of the enduring self.
The first view of the enduring self is the body. As we grow, …show more content…
Unlike the body, the soul we are unable to see, touch, smell and so forth. Since we are unable to see and experience the soul physically, the soul does not change because it is not a physical material part of the body. The only issue is that there is no way to monitor if the soul does or does not change throughout life. As we physically change our appearance and experience the different experiences in life, we are unable to see our soul. How, if possible, does it change? What can change our soul? Since we are not being able to determine the answer to these questions, it is best to say that our soul does not change based on physical changes.
The view of the memory being the enduring self is also another option that has arised. When the memory is the focus of the view of the enduring self it is about focusing on the past events in life. A problem with this view is that we are not always conscious of the events that have occurred in our lives. We like to think that we can remember everything that has ever happened to us, but we are not always able to do that with how our brains are set up with the short term and long term memory.
Another view of the enduring self is that there is no view of the enduring self. Here, in the view that there is no view of the enduring self, the individual does not exist. This view is all about the beliefs. The beliefs of an individual ultimately alter this specific