Wednesday, July 25, 2012

The Self

Okay, here are my thoughts...

I'd actually argue, despite those postmodernists who would call "The Self" a fiction or a discourse, that The Self (no quotes) has the same ontological reality as a tornado, a coffee cup, or inner city riot.  What I mean by this is that all three objects (and as a speculative realist I'm interested in objects) are emergent from deeper multiplicities.  A tornado emerges from multiplicities of air, moisture, pressure, and heat.  A coffee cup emerges from multiplicities of molecules, physical forces and chemical interactions.  A inner city riot emerges from multiplicities of human individuals, social pressures, and government force.

Likewise, The Self emerges from a multiplicity of storytelling, competing desires, and alternate personalities,  yet just like a tornado, a coffee cup, or an inner city riot, it is an object - a single object that is as real as anything else we would name with a singular noun.

5 comments:

  1. So your saying "the self" is a singular noun. You have a very, very complicated and pedantic way of stating the obvious.

    However, your oatmeal cookies are complex and delicious.

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  2. I think you mean "you're" not "your."

    No cookies for you.

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  3. I love your cookies, but I have to pick out the raisins. Dried out fruit is not my thing.

    You should try the boneless ham. It's both salty and honey-sweet.

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    Replies
    1. My cookies never have raisins. What are you talking about?

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