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Evolving Philosophical Journal 3: Who/what am I?
Who/what am I?
I am a tiny organism in this big world that breaths, feel, talk, learn, and continues to grow. Most importantly, I am a thinking organism, and that makes me a human being. Who or what really am I? I guess for me to set myself apart from the billions of humans on earth and to leave even a minuscule footprint on the vast surface of the world, I must at least understand who or what really, I am. In the previous reflection, I said I am here to live a purposeful life, to have the freedom to do what I see fit, to forge connections, and finally, to live without regrets. How do I accomplish my task to pursue a purposeful living if I do not establish my own self? To guide me through self-awareness and continuing along in the module, I have been introduced to the three great philosophers of their time: Descartes on Systematic Doubt, Hume on Bundle Theory, and Merleau-Ponty on Embodiment. I will not pretend that I have formed a deep understanding of their works and readings presented but it gave a spark of light. So here I begin.
Descartes on his eternal doubt on all things until proven true otherwise. Descartes said it is our duty to doubt as our senses could deceive us. To doubt is to think, and to think therefore is to exist and our existence proves that God exists too. The act of “doubting” proves our existence. According to Descartes, I am not my body, I am my mind, “for examining what we are, while supposing, as we now do, that there is nothing really existing apart from our thought” (para. 8). Our thought influenced our bodies by movement. My physical body is the shell of my true self, which is my mind. But I do not think that I am just my thought, I exist entirely, I take up space, I have a mass, I am a living matter. The way other people perceive me is how I look physically, that itself defines me, that I am recognizable to others.
Hume on the other hand took a swipe at Descartes about looking deep within to find ourselves. Hume stated that “When I enter upon myself, I always stumble upon an impression of the other.” “I may venture to affirm of the rest of mankind, that they are nothing but a bundle or collection of different perceptions, which succeed each other with an inconceivable rapidity, and are in perpetual flux and movement” (pg. 300). According to Hume, there is no single and constant “me”, because I am a collection of impressions, and these impressions give the idea of what or who I am. I am a collection of feelings, experiences, thoughts, beliefs rolled together to form the immaterial “me”. As I continue living, those bundles inside me change too. I am a collection of ever-changing experiences, that is what or who I am. I am in favor of the bundle theory, as I obviously am not the same as I was before. I do not get upset when told that my ears are too big, and my front teeth are gapped. I learn by experience how to deal with it and even learn how to not see it as a flaw but a part of who I am. It also makes sense that for mankind to keep up with the rapidity of the changing world, we also must evolve to gain an appropriate response to every situation.
I like how the bundle theory leans on the idea that your identity should be formed based on your internal perception and response to the things around you. It is not something that should be formed as imposed by others or by external factors. Further, I like how it states that a person is capable of change, what you assume as who you are yesterday could be a totally different kind of you today. That for me is as good as saying that everyone deserves a second chance. As good as saying that every tomorrow is a new possibility to do good and be good. I am breathing, thinking organism is not enough of a definition of what or who I am. I am a singular, unique being that is constantly evolving to be the best version of my previous self.
Reference: https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/4391/pg4391.html
Hume_Treatise of Human Nature.pdf
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