From Present Self to Future Self
From Present Self to Future Self
Personal identity is an event, and the personal subject’s relation to itself is characterized by temporal “distension.” The metaphysical concept of personal “substance” tried ineffectively to define the self in ahistorical terms, but could “substance” be tied to “history”? With the help of eschatology it could, for the self could be fully known to itself under eschatological conditions in a “recapitulation” by which it becomes its own becoming. The definitive, like the provisional, has to be thought of as “happening.” “Post-existence” would be eternal happening, a present recovery of what has formed its way of existing, and in continuing receptivity. Is the concept of “I,” the personal subject, adequate to such an eschatological destiny? We can think more coherently of a “post-existence” by replacing the concept of “consciousness” with “opening.”
Keywords: self-identity, distension, personal substance, history, eschatology
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 .
