On Sameness and Identity: A Psychological Study: Being a Contribution to the Foundations of a Theory of Knowledge — John Shaqi
On Sameness and Identity: A Psychological Study: Being a Contribution to the Foundations of a Theory of KnowledgeFullerton, George Stuart
Philosophy
On Sameness and Identity: A Psychological Study: Being a Contribution to the Foundations of a Theory of Knowledge
Fullerton, George Stuart
Knowledge, Theory of
Next, as to the sameness of the Self or Ego. It was pointed out that
one may take the word self to mean: (1) the self in consciousness,
or as phenomenon; (2) the self as bundle of "real" qualities out of
consciousness; (3) the self as "substance" or "noumenon;" (4) two of
these, or all of these, taken together.
It was said that as the fourth sense is sufficiently discussed in
examining the first three, it would not be separately considered. The
three remaining senses were then taken up in reverse order. The third
and the Second were found to furnish no new kind of sameness, and to
be on a par with the corresponding senses of the word "not-self,"
except as touching the sixth kind of sameness. As respects this, it
was admitted that no one would speak of two men as perceiving the same
self, whether as bundle of "real" qualities or as noumenon. It was
remarked, however, that this is due not to a difference in the self
and not-self in themselves considered, but to a difference in their
relation to other things in a consciousness.
The self in consciousness, or as immediately known, was then discussed.
It was stated that we may safely assume this to be either a part or
the whole of consciousness, or the one or the other of these in some
peculiar aspect or relation. Self, viewed as a part of consciousness,
was found to furnish no new kind of sameness, and was found to admit of
all the kinds discovered except the sixth; this one being inadmissible
from the fact that when we make the self a part of consciousness we
always make it the subjective part and not the objective. Self, viewed
as the whole of consciousness, was likewise found to furnish no new
kind of sameness, and it was found to admit of all the seven kinds
discovered--even of the sixth, though in a modified way, since this
kind can belong only to a part of the self, the objective part, which
is in some sense common and impersonal. It may, to be sure, be objected
that it would be contrary to common usage to speak of two men as seeing
the same self in any sense of that word; but in making the self the
whole of consciousness one has already abandoned the common standpoint,
and one may as well be consistent in carrying out the consequences.
Assuming the self to be not a part or the whole of consciousness
simply, but regarded in some peculiar aspect or relation, was not found
to be significant as concerns kinds of sameness.
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