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The Illusion Theory of Personal Identity |
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Both
minds and bodies undergo constant change; we are quite literally new people
each moment A. Buddhism:
belief in a permanent self is the source of all suffering a. Enlightenment
requires abandoning this belief b. The
Godfathers: Birth, School, Work, Death Bodies: Empirical
evidence indicates that there is no permanent, unchanging self |
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A. Heraclitus:
It is not possible to step into the same river twice |
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a. We are like a
river: at no point is anything permanent that is actually the river. It is in
constant flux: the water flows, the bank erodes, the silt is deposited |
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Minds |
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B. |
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a. I can never catch myself at any time without perception, and can never
observe any thing but the perception. … |
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b. The mind is a kind of theatre, where several perceptions successively
make their appearance; pass, re-pass, glide away and mingle … |
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C. James: our consciousness constantly changes |
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Problems: |
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D. Yet we do live as if there is a permanent self |
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a. Planning for the future |
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b. Punishing/ rewarding people for their actions |
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