Simple Selves
Simple Selves
This chapter focuses on the question: ‘how simple is it possible for a self to be?’ from a number of different angles. Could a maximally simple subject exist, a subject which possesses only a single capacity for a rudimentary form of experience? Although the idea may initially seem absurd, the various objections dissolve under scrutiny. Could a subject take the form of a stream of experiences which are not the product of experiential powers? A minimal subject is nothing but a stream of consciousness. If such subjects are possible, the C-theory can easily be modified so as to accommodate them. The chapter closes by considering whether a partially (or weakly) unified consciousness is possible. If the answer to this question is ‘no’ then there is a sense in which selves are necessarily simpler than they would be if the answer were ‘yes’.
Keywords: simple subjects, minimal subjects, C-theory, unity of consciousness, weak unity, partial unity
Oxford Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.
Please, subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you think you should have access to this title, please contact your librarian.
To troubleshoot, please check our FAQs , and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us .