Danceswithwordswhat defines us?
November 20th 2006 04:25
last night, in one of my regular 3am sessions of insomnia, i found myself dwelling on the concept of how to describe myself as an individual from an utterly detached perspective. as i stared at my bedroom ceiling, i was wondering how to define who i am, what i am and what makes me unique as both a person and a member of our species. i deliberated on how often we seem to find ourselves running through the same tired litany when we introduce ourselves "hey, my names chris, im 21 years old, im a student, i work at such and such, i enjoy, admire, love and hate this and that, my beliefs are as such and my experiences have been this".
but even all these things cant completely define a person though can they? my name certainly doesnt define me, nor does my age . what im studying does not define me as an individual. sure, i am quite likely doing it for different reasons than others are, but what i love to learn doesnt make me really unique. ones work, one purpose used to be enough to define oneself 50 years ago for some. but apparently not so much anymore. even if i attained my dream job, would that be the extent of who i am, or even my defining characteristic? many different philosophers have espoused over the years that we are as we do. but if we are defined by both the reasons for, and the results of our actions. what about our conflictions, what about the plethora of reasons we didnt want to act that way, what about all the possibilities that we left unrequited? are we defined also by what we might have done given a different circumstance? how about the ways i feel about things? do my emotions or my beliefs define me? am i this because i feel a certain way about something? then we have to ask ourselves why we feel this way, what are the reasons i love this so strongly, despise this so passionately, accept one belief system and reject another? would i be the same, feel the same, think the same if i was born in a different place, raised in a different household. of course i wouldnt be, the environment would shape me in a completely different way. so then are we the totality of our experiences and/or memories, whatever they happen to be? what if the memories i possess up untill this moment were stripped from me and i was struck with severe amnesia, how would i define myself without memory of the past? i still think, i still feel, but without knowing the reasons i feel or think this way, without context am i still the same person? who would i be if the only moment i can remember is now?
so ok, what about all these things combined, what about every past experience, every thought, ever feeling, where i come from, what genus i belong to, what damn football team i support, what about every possibility that i have ever embraced or rejected, all i have ever loved and hated, the way i treat people and desire to be treated, what i want out of life and what i have, the realisation of my part in something greater, what i consider to be beautiful or repugnant, where i am now and where i may be etc etc. am i now complete? am i now whole? am i now capable of self definition? no, im not. something is missing.
what i want to ask you is how you define yourself? what you say when people ask who you are? what is the most important and defining part of you as a person? what is it that makes you special, who do you see and why when you look in the mirror?
i am..............?
but even all these things cant completely define a person though can they? my name certainly doesnt define me, nor does my age . what im studying does not define me as an individual. sure, i am quite likely doing it for different reasons than others are, but what i love to learn doesnt make me really unique. ones work, one purpose used to be enough to define oneself 50 years ago for some. but apparently not so much anymore. even if i attained my dream job, would that be the extent of who i am, or even my defining characteristic? many different philosophers have espoused over the years that we are as we do. but if we are defined by both the reasons for, and the results of our actions. what about our conflictions, what about the plethora of reasons we didnt want to act that way, what about all the possibilities that we left unrequited? are we defined also by what we might have done given a different circumstance? how about the ways i feel about things? do my emotions or my beliefs define me? am i this because i feel a certain way about something? then we have to ask ourselves why we feel this way, what are the reasons i love this so strongly, despise this so passionately, accept one belief system and reject another? would i be the same, feel the same, think the same if i was born in a different place, raised in a different household. of course i wouldnt be, the environment would shape me in a completely different way. so then are we the totality of our experiences and/or memories, whatever they happen to be? what if the memories i possess up untill this moment were stripped from me and i was struck with severe amnesia, how would i define myself without memory of the past? i still think, i still feel, but without knowing the reasons i feel or think this way, without context am i still the same person? who would i be if the only moment i can remember is now?
so ok, what about all these things combined, what about every past experience, every thought, ever feeling, where i come from, what genus i belong to, what damn football team i support, what about every possibility that i have ever embraced or rejected, all i have ever loved and hated, the way i treat people and desire to be treated, what i want out of life and what i have, the realisation of my part in something greater, what i consider to be beautiful or repugnant, where i am now and where i may be etc etc. am i now complete? am i now whole? am i now capable of self definition? no, im not. something is missing.
what i want to ask you is how you define yourself? what you say when people ask who you are? what is the most important and defining part of you as a person? what is it that makes you special, who do you see and why when you look in the mirror?
i am..............?
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Comment by Adrian
Philosophy Blog
If you're talking about what (if anything) makes you unique, then aren't you obviously correct in the second paragraph -- it's everything combined?
If you name something about yourself that you consider the most important, why should this also make you unique?
And why the phrase "as a person"? Couldn't something define me as a bunch of atoms?
When people ask you who you are, there is no one answer, because the language always exists in context. And, depending on the context, and depending on what you think the asker is asking about, you'll give different responses.
Comment by ChrisM
i agree with you that the afore-mentioned does make me unique. but is the concept and consequential realisation of ones own individuality enough for self definition?
nah, i didnt raise an individuals purpose (or thing that is most important to them) in respect to making that person unique (though i think there are always differing individual reasons why one adheres to/believes in one). i did it because i think it plays a huge role in self perception and identity.
thats true. you could be described as a bunch of atoms. but is that how you think of yourself first and foremost? the individual building blocks rather than the whole itself?
and yeah, i agree completely on the last point.