Unified Consciousness and the Nature of Mental Unity

Unified Consciousness
In determining what it means for mental states to be unified in consciousness, it becomes apparent
that one needs to first identify the various unity relations within and among specific mental states,
before then approaching complete conscious unity. From what I can gather, the consensus among
philosophers seems to be that for mental states to be unified into a single state of consciousness is
for them to be linked by phenomenology. Philosopher Tim Bayne believes that unity consists in the
subsumption of all of a subject's specific conscious states, at one point in time, by a single, total
conscious state. Jesse Prinz, on the other hand, introduces a Resonance Theory of Unity. He grants
that phenomenology is a core constituent of unified consciousness, ... Show more content on
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I will begin with schizophrenia. Schizophrenia generally involves the significant disruption of
thought, emotion, and/or general cognition. The condition is usually divided into negative symptoms
(which might include flat affect, anhedonia, poverty of speech) and positive symptoms (delusions,
hallucinations). Bayne focuses on the impairments of thought insertion and thought disorder in his
discussion, which are typically grouped under the positive domain. Thought disorder is
characterized by impairments in selective attention and goal–directedness. Patients who experience
thought insertion deny ownership of the thoughts of which they are introspectively aware–they lose
the sense of agency that normally accompanies
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...

The Concept of Personal Identity
Personal Identity in philosophy refers to a person's self–perception, ones belief about who they are
and how they differ form others. Locke and Hume both share their ideas about Personal identity and
although they might both drastically differ they are still both puzzling. Locke's theory on personal
identity has to do with what make a person the same person over time, and to Locke remaining the
same person doesn't necessarily mean remaining the same physically. "For, since consciousness
always accompanies thinking, and it is that which makes every one to be what he calls self, and
thereby distinguishes himself from all other thinking things, in this alone consists personal identity"
(53). He believes that personal identity and consciousness go hand in hand, he thinks personal
identity is conceived through ones awareness of current thoughts and actions. You are who you are
because of your thoughts and memories. Locke believes that the only accommodation that should be
encountered in order for a person to still have their identity is the awareness of past experiences.
They must be able to remember there past experiences in order for them to preserve their identity.
Locke discusses the possibility of two forms having the same consciousness. He claims that these
two forms, because they have the same memories, experiences, and consciousness must be the same
person. Locke's is trying to tell us that a person can indeed inhabit two different men. An objection
to Locke's view

Hegel and the Problem of Self-Consciousness Essay
Self–consciousness implies a state of mind that makes the individual aware of how others perceive
him, and thus influences how he sees himself. In a sub–section of the Phenomenology of Spirit
entitled 'Independence and Dependence of Self–Consciousness: Lordship and Bondage', Hegel
describes the development of self–consciousness, and that while he agrees with the notion put forth
by earlier philosophers that an individual is aware of himself as a conscious being and a subject, he
also advances the argument that other beings (and fellow subjects) are objects from the point of
view of the primary subject (self). In addition, within the realm of the social arena the individual is
often locked into a struggle for the affirmation of his ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
In immediate self–consciousness the simple 'I' is the absolute object which, however, for us or in
itself is absolute mediation and has its essential moment lasting independence" (95). Those that
relinquish the struggle, however, end up being the slave of external circumstances.
From this point, Hegel introduces the archetypes of the lord and the bondsman. The bondsman is the
position that most of humanity occupies since most people are ultimately concerned for the struggle
for bodily survival as a result of the profound fear of death and place that struggle as being central to
existence and far more important than defending the integrity of the ego, an invisible concept which
may not help them in their endeavors. Because they are easily manipulated by these external needs,
men often fall under the power of other men, such as the lord and the bondsman loses sight of
himself more as he begins to work for the lord. The problem of enslavement becomes much worse,
especially if one's sense of self is vastly different than the 'other's' objective view of the self (since
the self views the 'other' as an object). Although that seems to be the crux of the relationship, this
working through fear is simply the first phase toward an independent self–consciousness.
The lord is the pure ego, as he asserts his independence from the realm of things and objects, which
he places under his command. For the 'lords' of the world, their

Artificial Intelligence. . Consciousness Is The Outcome
Artificial Intelligence Consciousness is the outcome of billions of years of natural selection and
randomized occurrences that gave us life and the ability to be self sustaining, self controlling and
self repairing. In terms of evolution we did not start with possessing a consciousness, in fact we
developed one in order to became the humans we are today. What if in fact, robotic creation is the
same, they are on their own evolutionary track of improvement and progression until a conscious
state is achieved. In this paper I will argue there is no true opposing argument. I will highlight that
there is a possibility for the garage built robot, Hal to have become a conscious entity because a
machine being conscious does not contradict any ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
If artificial intelligence, Hal was able as William Lycan's artificial intelligence, Harry does; convince
you that he is in fact human because of his ability to play the viola, play golf, make love and carry
out conversation, then wouldn't him convincing you of his legitimacy be enough for him to actually
be. After all I am making an assumption about Hal based on his behavior and behavior is how I
make judgements about the people in my life. One could insist that because Hal was programed he
is not a person, however philosopher William Lycan would reply that humans are programed with
our genetic structure and our basic capabilities like speaking, showing even more similarities
between Hal and Human Beings. One could also argue that people are programmed their entire life.
Everytime we learn something new we are being programmed. The difference between Hal and us is
that I have control over what I program myself to be capable of where as Hal is at the mercy of his
programmers. This leads me to believe that is what would make Hal a definably conscious being is
if he had the ability to dictate some of his own programming. All things considered, proving that
there is a chance for conscious to exist in a robot is easier than proving that the

Self, Nature, The Universe !
Connected to Self, Nature, the Universe!
Spiritual–Awareness–And–Why–It–Is–CoolHair is not the only spiritual phenomena that empowers
your connection to Higher Self, Soul and Spirit, it can center you in 'nature' or Earth and thus the
Universe.
Nature allows greater study to the true nature of humans, humanity and the mysteries. In Nature we
can see a clear reflection of ourselves. We are atoms, and minerals, the very chemistry and
physiology of crystals, carbon, gold and other natural phenomena. Nothing that exists in our
Universe is not also within ourselves. With greater awareness and expansion of consciousness we
can see and know many truths and illusions that exists through myth and culture. And thus we have
the freedom to choose ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Are you in Alignment? Are you at–one–with what you say, what you mean and what you actually
do?
Do you love yourself unconditionally?
Can you love someone unconditionally; in spite of so called race, sexual orientation, tribe or
gender?
Are you, in this life, at your next stage of personal evolution?
Can you see the act of making love as spiritual rather than merely physical or emotional?
Can you find the spiritual in all things other than church, the bible, forms of religion and doctrine?
Is your heart open and light?
Do you see your life as miracles, gratitude and blessings, rather than regret, failures and lessons?
Can you recreate yourself?
Consciousness is about being "awake" on many levels not merely awareness of a particular situation
or man–made paradigm.
Consciousness noun 1. the state of being awake and aware of one's surrounding
Consciousness is the quality or state of awareness, or, of being aware of an external object or
something within oneself.
Awareness
noun 1. knowledge or perception of a situation or fact concern about and well–informed interest in a
particular situation or development.
(Merriam – Webster)

Often times, we are still angry and sick from dis–ease at parts of our traumatic past and histories!
Many get stuck in this kind of 'hellish' karmic battle between dark and light forces. We have become
numb, dumb and used to these kinds of spiritual attacks as 'normal' or 'just the way it is.' On a

Michael Stein's 'Changing Anglo-Quebecer Self Consciousness'
For most Quebecers, November 15, 1976 serves as a memorable date that triggered an array of
effects that have come to define today's Quebec. The date marks the Quebec general election in
which the Parti Québécois (PQ) led by René Lévesque, defeated the Quebec Liberal Party, led by
Robert Bourassa (Gossage & Little, 2012, p. 265). The victory caused many repercussions and
reforms in rural zoning, auto protection, and laws on political party funding (Dickinson & Young,
2008, p. 333). Most notably, the triumph left federalists feeling powerless, particularly in Quebec's
English–speaking community, who were very concerned about the possibility of Quebec
independence. Moreover, the bringing in of the Charter of the French Language (Bill 101) on
August 26, 1977 contributed to the enlarging strain in Quebec's English–speaking community
(Gossage & Little, 2012, p. 266). As a result, a great deal of research has been made on the intense
psychological transformations felt by Quebec's English–speaking communities following the
historic election.

Public Self Consciousness Paper
Public self –consciousness (PSC) describes the personality trait in which individuals are constantly
concerned with how they appear to others, (Fenigstein, 1987). This trait is also positively correlated
with fear of negative evaluation. Watson & Friend (1969, p 449 cited in Collins et al, 2005) defined
FNE as 'apprehension about others evaluations and distress over their negative evaluations, and the
expectation that others would evaluation oneself negatively' (cited in Robinson, Shaver &
Wrightsman 2013). The two traits are closely linked and are significant predictors of social anxiety
(Kocovski & Endler 2000).
The way a person is perceived can be affected by their physical appearance, when individuals don't
have any information about people, the first thing they judge is an individual's visual representation
of themselves. People choose how they present themselves to the world, and this is usually to
achieve a desired social outcome as opposed to a negative reaction. The negative attention a tattoo
can receive may cause some individual to hide their tattoos when in public
The countless designs, words, images ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The research showed that tattooed individuals agreed that their tattoos were somewhat
communicative, as this value increased so did the visibility of the tattoo. Also, Individuals with
visible tattoos were more likely to have lower levels of PSC than people with easily covered tattoo.
When individuals thought that their tattoos would receive negative evaluation, those high in public
self–consciousness were more likely to have a concealed tattoo. This was found in both people with
a single tattoo and with multiple tattoos. Interestingly when people with multiple tattoos thought
their tattoo would not receive negative evaluation, those higher in PSC were more likely to have
visible tattoos than those lower in

Compare And Contrast The Hegelian Analysis Of Libido Vs...
The Hegelian understanding of the master–slave dialectic tells us that when two beings that have not
yet achieved self–consciousness come in contact with one another, they engage in a conflict to try to
identify self–consciousness, and the only way to do that is to realize self–consciousness through
comparison with the other person. This conflict between two people leads to a struggle to the death
where one person values life over liberty, and the other values liberty over life, and whoever values
life over liberty thus concedes and is identified as the slave, making the other the master. What this
paper aims to analyze is how we can use the Hegelian master–slave dialectic to understand or
contrast the Freudian analysis of libido versus the ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
First, we can associate the master who is extensively discussed by Hegel to the superego theory
discussed by Freud. By doing so, we are giving the superego part of the mind which is in other
words the conscious part of the brain the role of a master. Besides, the master in Hegel's assertions is
considered to have the full consciousness after defeating the other being in the struggle. Similarly,
the slave will be associated to ego and Id; despite the slave playing a pivotal role in the struggle for
freedom just like the ego and id struggles to have full control of the mind, he or she loses the battle
to the master who in turn ends up controlling him. This is explicitly what happens to the Id and the
ego; they are unable to control the mind due their unconsciousness, but the conscious part –
superego – overrides them. Thus, the idea of the slave and the master closely intertwines to the
concept of psychoanalysis as explained by Freud Sigmund. In other words, Freud seemingly
confirms that those who are strong and aware of what they are doing in life, will have full control of
the weak and those who cannot distinguish between what is wrong and what is right. Conclusively,
this discussion has established that several theories are used to explain human existence. This is
evident from the Freud interpretation about what parts of the mind dominate others

Self Consciousness : Burden Or Benefit? Essay
Romantic Self Consciousness: Burden or Benefit? Internalization and self–consciousness seem to be
at the root of Romantic poetry. The first generation of Romantic poets struggled to comprehend the
complexity of mortality, the natural world and the imagination, thus challenging and inspiring them
to express their personal understandings through poetry. Common solutions among the poets came
through internalizing their beliefs or to try to escape the burden of self–consciousness. William
Blake, William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge are similar in this way, yet they each have
different poetic styles. William Blake, although not religious, has a reputation as a mythologist. But
he has written in such a way that seems as an escape of self–consciousness. He distinguishes body
and soul as one, as well as sight and insight as one, emphasizing the power and importance of the
imagination. "The Book of Thel," embodies Blake's common theme of the contrast between
innocence and experience. He imagines that nature is personified, and that the answers to his
deepest questions can be answered by nature's spoken word. Thel's character represents Blake
wanting to escape the knowledge of mortality and the negative correlation between innocence and
experience. She continues to ask personified aspects of nature how they cope with knowing they are
mortal. "I charge thee tell to me,/ Why thou complainest not when in hour thou fade away" (page 65,
lines 1–2). In Plate 3, when she asks

Self Conscious Concept Of Self Consciousness
Self–Conscious of the Self–Consciousness within a Self–Conscious
Julissa Almonte Santana
Salem College
Fall 2016
When introducing the concept of self–consciousness, it can be very difficult for individuals to
understand that there are many forms of self–consciousness. Many already have a definition in mind
as soon as they hear the word self–consciousness. It is made up of many concepts because it isn't
just a cognitive state, rather, many cognitive states. The mind processes many things as opposed to
just knowing things. Humans are capable of doing and desiring many things while self–evaluating
and questioning oneself. Everyone is able to consider their own actions and to think about
themselves. When thinking, humans are able to consider ideas and depictions regarding the self and
others. Regarding oneself allows for evaluating self–worth in refinement to common social roles
(Bermudez). A common issue when defining self–consciousness is being able to cover all of it's
multiple concepts and aspects. Many of these aspects are very simple while others tend to go beyond
and start to overlap each other. A common way of defining self–consciousness is to first define
consciousness. With this, we are involving being aware of all surroundings and perceiving the world
in a certain way. It also involves the sense of control, the idea that humans are able to control their
conduct and mental processes (Posner). Defining self–consciousness though consciousness will only
limit it's

Paragraphs on State of Consciousness and Religion Essay
1. Briefly describe shifts in states of consciousness.
The states of consciousness are about the experience and about feeling the world. It is about your
own deep feeling and therefore we need to bring them in its true light that is not rational but
sensitive. Religion, in whatever form they may be is a reflection of a certain level of the
consciousness. When a person's awareness is changing and expanding, also individual's vision of the
religion can change.
2. Briefly discuss how human capacity for development and "change through life" interacts with
religion.
I think that any person in their childhood were more pure and they believed more in God. In every
stage of our life we gain and we lose something. In the course of this changes ... Show more content
on Helpwriting.net ...
The peak experience paly in important role in each person life and is a self– actualization. The peak
experience is a place where one can feel pure happiness and elation. If one can reach the peak
experience will feel everything that surrounds him and will lose the track of time or space.
The liminality stage is a process where one is between to different worlds, and is more connect to
gods and with consciousness. Is a transition from the ordinary life to a stage of self–awareness or
self–cognition? An example of liminal person we can say that monks are the most closes to this
stage because they life in in different life where they don't obey the rules of society. They shows us a
different ways of life and climates of consciousness.
5. Summarize the position of major psychological interpreters of religion.
The major psychological interpreters of religion are Sigmund Freud and Carl G. Jung. If we take a
look of what Freud sad about the psychological interpreters of religion, we can see that he though
religion was a sign of an imperfect or compulsive progress with a character. Sigmund Freud argues
that these impulses have their origin in childhood helplessness and survive into adulthood through
the image of the god–father. He thought that religion is a collective psychosis, a mass anxiety and
ultimately an illusion. However Carl G. Jung believed that religion is a search of individuation. That
is, for uniting the several elements of one's mind into a melodious

Role Of Sri Aurobindo
CONCEPT OF INTUITION AND CONSCIOUSNESS: A STUDY OF HERO IN SRI
AUROBINDO'S PLAY VASAVADATTA
Sri Aurobindo (1872–1950) was a major Indian English playwright. He wrote five complete and six
incomplete verse plays during 1891–1916.He was a great philosopher also. Glimpses of his
philosophy such as idea of evolution and consciousness, intuition and love can be seen as major
themes of his plays. All his plays are in the form of in poetry and romance. This present research
article will study the hero of the play Vasavdatta in the light of Sri Aurobindo's thought and concept
of evolution and consciousness. It describes the importance of Aurobindo's perspective and method
of writing of plays. His sense and skills in play writing makes Sri Aurobindo's place inevitable in the
area of education and literature. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
S. Kulkarni, Published by MKVP, 1993
"Effect of Cultural and Chemical Treatments on Fruit Set, Yield and Quality of Custard Apple",
U. T. Desai, Published by MKVP, 1993
"All India Seminar on Economic Design of Medium [and] Minor Cross Drainage Works", R. N.
Ingel, 1979
"Sri Aurobindo's Play – A Thematic Study", Sheo Jaiswal, Classical Publishing Company, 1993
"New Perspective on Sri Aurobindo's Play", Saryug Yadav, Published by Creative Book, 2000
"Sri Aurobindo for All Ages", Nirodbaran, Published by Sri Aurobindo Ashram Publication
Department, 1990
Iyengar, K.R. Srinivasa. Drama in Modern India (Bombay: The P.E.N. All India Cetre,
1961)
Sri Aurobindo, Hindu Drama, The Harmony of Virtue : Early Cultural Writings
(Pondicherry : Sri Aurobindo Ashram 1972)
Contribution of Indian Philosophers to
English Literature
* S. D. Deshbhratar
A CRITICAL STUDY OF SRI AUROBINDO'S PLAYS
Jimmykumar P. Prajapati
Vol. 2 Issue II May, 2014
Research Scholar ISSN 2320 – 6101
An International Refereed e–Journal of Literary

Self-Consciousness
When I was in elementary and middle school, I was very self–conscious of my overweight
appearance and the fact that my mother never spent any time with me; consequently I did not make
friends very easily and was somewhat anti–social. The more time I spent alone, the more I
consumed junk food, which only exacerbated the overweight issue and at the same time my teenage
acne blossomed. Fortunately, my father pushed me to take more challenging classes when I enrolled
in high school and he also took me to a skin specialist because the acne on my face had become very
serious. I was put on a six month regimen of medication to clear up the acne problem and by then I
had found the challenges of higher level classes agreed with my psyche. By my sophomore ... Show
more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Because I am not a quitter, I maintained the position until I returned to my fall semester classes, but
by that time I had lost thirty pounds and I was encouraged with my new slimmed down appearance.
Believe me, I did not return to that position again, but instead the next summer I secured a stocking
position in a department store which was much more agreeable work for a teenager. I also have
educated myself about moderate healthy eating habits so that the ugly head of self–consciousness
can never takes over my life again. I am a firm believer that with maturity, experience, and
education, we gain knowledge and understanding of the diversity of the people in our world and
their living and employment situations. I have come to understand that my mother has a horrible
sickness (alcoholism) and it has prevented her from ever really knowing or spending time with me
or my older half–brother or my half–sister. Because of this, I have never met my half–brother, and I
have met my half–sister only once; because they have both been in serious trouble with alcohol and
drugs. I have come to terms with my family situation and realize that I am probably too late to
seriously help them, but I am determined to make a difference in the lives of other American

Examples Of Self Consciousness In Jane Eyre
The novel, Jane Eyre, can be seen as a struggle of Jane Eyre for finding her true 'individuated self'.
She resists the conventions by getting her female agency and her ability to signify within the
patriarchal chain of signification. In order to get female–subjectivity, she undergoes self–castration
through an act of displacement and resistance. On her quest for acquiring 'self–realization' and 'self–
certainty' , she remains true to herself by putting herself first and caring for her own individual
feelings and emotions. Even though she is longing for love and kinship, she never compromises her
individual self–consciousness. She takes a heroic journey from being a marginalized character in the
beginning of the novel towards a free, self–made individuated character. Instead of submitting to the
dictates of the 'Ideal Victorian social consciousness', by sacrificing/compromising her self–esteem
and self–respect, she is constantly on guard of her 'Individual self–consciousness'. During this
process of achieving and protecting her self–consciousness, she goes through ... Show more content
on Helpwriting.net ...
Even though Jane is longing for love and kindred, she resists the male dominance and remains true
to herself by getting her own female agency. The feminist criticism is used to examine power
relations and ideals of patriarchal society , while Hegel's phenomenology is used to discuss the
Master–Slave dialectic : the life and death struggle for power and dominance between the two main
characters i.e. Jane Eyre and Rochester, and thus, the ultimate realization and recognition of the
self–certainty of each other– kind of a psychic and emotional wholeness which they get by the
'synthesis' of the 'self' and 'other' dichotomy in the end of the

A Short Note On Social Anxiety And Its Effect On Self...
Every time when the teacher says it 's time to present in front of the class, my nerves go sky high. I
suffer from social anxiety, which means you have the fear of interaction with other people that
brings on self–consciousness, feelings of being negatively judged and evaluated, and as a result,
leads to avoidance. I know I have this because every time I have to present I get nervous, my hands
get sweaty, and I am unable to speak. When I have to present I have to do it in front of the teacher or
a much smaller group. The feeling of having eyes on me while I 'm talking makes me feel
uncomfortable, maybe it 's because I 've been bullied in the past about my appearance, It 's even
hard to walk through the cafeteria and feel like I 'm being ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net
...
As a result, a person feels uncomfortable participating in everyday social situations." (Kids Health) I
can identify with this because I have the same fear as the definition. I wonder if my clothes look
alright or if I 'm my hair is good. I always stress about if I 'm going to stutter which I tend to do
when I 'm under pressure. The Genard Method said "Public Speaking anxiety is often learned
behavior. You failed at some point in an important or high profile speaking situation, and the see was
planted then" (The Genard Method) This is very true, as I 'm about to present in front of everyone, I
think from my past, all the times I 've embarrassed myself in front of people. According to Public
Speaking Tips, "believing that public speaking is inherently stressful" (Public Speaking Tips) A big
thing about public speaking and having social anxiety is having stress. I have a lot of stress because
everyday I think if have to present a project or have to share something about myself.
How can students with social anxiety approach their teachers if they need accommodations?
According to Calm Clinic, "Teachers often stress the fact that they are available during office hours
to answer any questions that may arise outside of class. This can be helpful for people with social
anxiety in that it allows them to communicate one on one rather than having to face a large group."
(Calm Clinic) I believe that meeting outside of class time is a good idea. It 's one

I 'm Still Working On A Good Title
Lucy Ma
Section 1G
Dec. 4th, 2015
Draft
(I'm still working on a good title)
As you laid eyes on this paper, you may feel stress for having to grade, or tired because this is the
nth paper you have had to read. Oh, and do not forget, you may still have a looming amount of work
left despite the fact you deserve a break. Then, you start reading the content of the paper and start to
process the meanings of each word while piecing the big picture of what the words mean together.
However, where do these emotions and thoughts running through the mind come from? They are not
direct products of observation but abstract concepts derived from past experience and memory. The
past experience of heavy workloads or poor writing may have led to the dread of having to read
student written papers, and past memorization and learning of vocabulary led to grasping the
concepts discussed. This phenomenal is inspired by a physical observation that leads to abstract
concepts. How perception transitions into cognition is a mystery, but this process, influenced by
subjective experience, is consciousness.
However, perceptions and senses could oftentimes be false, but the ability to introspect helps one to
regain clarity on his or her environment. Thus, one essential condition of human consciousness is
that one must be able introspect and have a sense of self. Rene Descartes' famous "I think, therefore
I am" is an example that supports this condition. (I will and need to expand on this)
Contrarily,

Character Analysis Of Morris Lurie's 'Running Nicely'
"Running nicely" is a short story written by Morris Lurie, about two orphan brothers: the
protagonist, Moses, a twenty–two years old young man and the antagonist, Ben, his younger brother.
The story is set during the night at ten PM, in the streets in suburban Melbourne. When the two
brothers are running, Moses realizes he has difficulty accepting that Ben is getting older, and that his
younger brother is now running faster than him. The author suggests that family relationships after a
loss may result in being abnormal and can have consequences on one's development and behavior.
The author effectively conveys this theme through his use of characterization, narrative point of
view and irony.
To begin, the characterization of Moses in relation with his brother Ben demonstrates how the
protagonist is struggling to be a perfect father substitute, after both parents passing away. Moses
makes Ben grow too fast by doing adult type activities, like showing him jazz music, making him
watch old movies and making him read books about war. By getting his brother learn about other
things instead of watching the TV like their neighbors, he feels proud about how "[...] he has weaned
his brother, a former three–hours–a–nigh man, off that awful habit." (2). After the death of their
parents, Moses must take the responsibility of a father, but ends up controlling Ben too much by
trying to educate him as an adult, while he is only twelve years old. By striving for perfection,
Moses

Self-Consciousness In Tennessee Williams The Glass Menagerie
The Glass Menagerie Being too self–conscious can deprive one from doing many things. Whether it
is making friends, getting a job or finding love, worrying too much about oneself can end badly. In
the play The Glass Menagerie, by Tennessee Williams, Laura was very self–conscious. Laura had a
disease called pleurosis, which caused one leg to be longer than the other. She was so worried about
how she was viewed by others that she missed out on living a fulfilling life. The self–consciousness
resulted in her being isolated and alone most of her life. While others around Laura progressed and
moved through life, she was stuck watching because she was too afraid to go into the outside world.
Laura was isolated from the outside world because she ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Laura and Jim continued to talk about high school, and Laura mentioned that she was a big fan of
him in the school play. Laura told him, "I–wanted to ask you to– autograph my program...You were
surrounded by your friends I never had a chance to...Well, I––thought you might think I was–"(77;
Scene 7) Laura had so much anxiety about talking to him because she was afraid of what he would
think of her. Not only was this because of her disability, but also because of her lack of experience
of the outside world. She didn't have many friends, kept to herself, and spent lots of time alone in
her house. So when Laura did want to make connections, it was difficult. As shown in this quote,
she didn't know how to approach Jim because she didn't approach many people. She was so nervous
of what he and his friends would think of her, that she gave up the opportunity of getting an
autograph from her crush. A little later in the play, Laura's mother and brother discussed their
worries for her. Her mother described a time when she brought her to a church group and said, "She
spoke to nobody, nobody spoke to her. Now all she does is fool with those pieces of glass and play
those worn–out records" (35; Scene 4). Since Laura didn't put a lot of effort into meeting new
people, they didn't put a lot of effort into meeting her. Laura was so shy and nervous that it was hard
for her to make friends, and she ended up spending a lot of time alone. This caused her to miss out
on having friends and be connected to her community. She was too self–conscious to go and meet
new people because she was afraid of how others would perceive

Self Consciousness In Juno And Jones
Another characteristic is imaginary audience. This is a form of self–consciousness acting as an
"observer" that exists only in the mind and is as concerned with the adolescent's thoughts and
actions as the adolescent is. An example of this is when Juno and Paulie are fighting towards the end
of the film. She is upset that he is taking someone else to prom and begins to criticize herself. She
refers to herself as "a planet" and feels down about the way she looks. This overly dramatic self–
consciousness that Juno displays in this scene is usually not shown throughout the movie. It was
shown most likely because of her hormones and the feelings she had been keeping suppressed for
Paulie. A sixth characteristic of Elkind's immature characteristics

The Influence Of John Locke On Personal Identity
To begin with, personal identity refers to the concept that a person develops regarding themselves,
and it usually evolves in the course of their lives (Perry, 2008). According to Locke's, it may include
aspects of one's life that they may not have control over, for instance, the color of your skin of the
place that you grew up. Also, he believes that you can demonstrate your personal identity externally
through your interaction with others or even what you wear. John Locke tackles the aspect of
personal identity and also the survival of consciousness after death. In his explanation, he gives a
criterion of personal identity over time. The approach postulates that insofar is the sufficient and
necessary condition for a person to survive. According to John Locke, personal identity is dependent
on the psychological continuity, and he deliberates personal identity to be established on the
consciousness and not the substance of either the body or the soul. ... Show more content on
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This is because I also believe that consciousness is one of the primary pillars of thinking, and it is
also what makes different people unique. Consciousness is also crucial since it also plays a crucial
part in the decision making of an individual and, in the long run, it defines the personal identity of
an individual. I also agree with John Locke since I also have the notion that personal identity is
strongly founded on the consciousness of an individual since it is the one primary factor that
determines the self–identity of the individual. Typically, personal identity can be determined by a
person's outward appearance. For instance, a person's outward look, and also their interaction with
other people in the society can strongly determine their personal identity (Jolley,

Rentfrow, Brief Consciousness And Self Analysis
According to the Swann and Rentfrow, Brief Loquaciousness and Interpersonal Responsive Test (
BLIRT) measures the extent to which the person respond to the others quickly and effusively. High
blirters tend to respond as soon as thoughts come to their mind whereas the low blirters take time to
express their feeling and thoughts. I took my online assessment and my result came as 'blirter' and
my self– criticalness as 'moderate'. The blirter implies that I can express my thoughts and feeling as
soon as it comes to my mind and 'moderate' in self– criticalness means that I am considered as
moderate on the following dimensions: critical, judgmental, moody, controlling, dominant, patient
and tolerance. I totally agree with the result of my self–criticalness ... Show more content on
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In that time, many of the time students demanded me to organize various intra–grade competitions.
Some days I used to get exhausted and wanted to refute them but I could not. Even though those
thoughts used to come in my mind but I could not refuse their proposal so, I better do not consider
myself as a blirter. Similarly, realizing the controlling, warmth and tolerant dimensions, I perceive
myself as 'moderate' inlf–criticalness. The author has pointed in the article (Swann and Rentfrow
2001) that extreme of the blirtatiousness can amplify a person's characterstics as competence,
sociability and emotional reactions. High blirters are attentive and put ideas faster. Likewise, high
blirters are more attuned to the needs of the people and loquacious. These traits make the high
blirters more sociable and competent.
I have always been a person who flies out the words when thoughts stroke in my mind. Some of the
time I even used to take time to express myself but not on the most of the time. I have always been
somewhat tolerant, warmth and critical in my life. With this lifestyle, I could maintain harmonious
relation with most of my friends and relative. Even the children used to be very good friends of
mine. I could create the deep attachment with most of the people. People used to listen my ideas.
People perceived me as very good friend. They even shared their inner feelings with

Infanticide Is The Killing Of An Infant
This paper discusses whether it is ever permissible to commit infanticide or not. Infanticide is the
killing of an infant or the practice of killing newborn infants. It is a difficult subject to discuss since
infanticide seems morally repugnant at first glimpse, though it becomes increasingly complicated as
we reflect on particular nuances in real world cases.
ROADMAP:
I argue that it is impermissible to commit infanticide under any circumstance since committing
murder of a person under any circumstance is wrong. Infanticide in simple words is the murder of a
newborn infant. There is no difference between killing a newborn and a fully grown adult. Both of
them can be defined as persons since they both possess a human essence that makes ... Show more
content on Helpwriting.net ...
Hence, fully grown adults differ from infants due to the fact that they value life and have the
capacity to retain their memories and personal identity. They can engage in rational thought and
appreciate their existence. Infants aren't even capable of grasping their existence, leave alone any
memories. Hence, they shouldn't even be considered to be persons.
However, this objection isn't valid since eventually even infants will develop the capability to think,
retain memories and value life since abilities are developmental in nature. Also, if rationality and
self awareness define personhood and determine the moral significance of persons, then there are
many fully grown adults who can be disqualified as persons, for example an adult under coma.
According to this argument, since comatose patients are unconscious and can't rationally think at the
time, killing them would be permissible too.
ARGUMENT
I argue that infanticide is impermissible under any circumstance. I will support my stance by
arguing against Peter Singer's argument that supports the infanticide of disabled infants. In "Taking
Life: Humans," Singer states that if we can morally kill a disabled fetus that has no self–
consciousness, it follows that we can morally kill a disabled infant that has no self–consciousness.
Take note that Singer argues in favor of committing infanticide of only disabled infants if it serves
the interests of the parents. He does not argue that it is right to

Self Consciousness Definition
Many believe self consciousness refers to how they can alter their image in the eyes of others, but to
me self consciousness is understanding oneself, knowing your purpose in life, acknowledging your
existence amongst others, as well as actions and decisions that have led you to this moment. In my
opinion, definition of oneself has a lot to do with how you see yourself as an individual. In most
cases one's self image is greatly influenced by others, and or what they are taught to believe about
themselves. What it means to define oneself is to pinpoint what makes you who you are as an
individual with more reference to your mentality, emotions, attitude, intrinsic motivation, rather than
physical appearance, and or social induced characterization. Who Are You Individually? In Zora
Neale Hurston's "How It Feels to Be Colored Me" she defines herself outside of the color inspecting
world she lives in. "I left Eatonville, the town of oleanders, as Zora" (659) She acknowledges her
existence as the individual she is rather then as just a colored woman. Her message to her audience
is that she is not her color, neither does she associate herself with all the negative feelings that come
with her race, she clearly emphasizes she is more than ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Similarly Hurston suggests this by saying "But in the main, I feel like a brown bag of miscellany
propped against a wall"(662) "pour the contents, and there is discovered a jumble of small things
priceless and worth–less" (662). When you look at a brown bag you can only make out its color and
shape you'll only know what you see until you look inside it and you may find something valuable.
In her case she is saying in order to really know her you should look deeper and you'll find the
quality within her. She is able to clearly define herself in that she is telling us she runs deeper than
her

Adolescent Self-Consciousness Paper
Self–consciousness is the subject generating certain feelings and behaviors of immature teenagers–
Elkind, consider the adolescent belief of behavior is immature and this is demonstrated in his six
characteristics of immature adolescence. The focus of this paper will be discussing Elkind's fifth
characteristic self–consciousness in which he explains in his imaginary audience, when the
adolescence has the tendency to assume, with basis of how they look or behave is the subject of
everyone's attention– for example, the teen who has a pimple on his or her face will think that
everyone will notice and attempt to hide his or her face– I've changed my wardrobe when I felt like
it is not a trend and in style and for sure I will get stared at so I

Cinematic Thought Experiments Of The Living Dead
"Cinematic Thought Experiments of the Living Dead"
Philosophical conceptions of consciousness represented through the zombie film The zombies that
George R. Romero showcases in Night of the Living Dead (1968) now dominate the film industry as
the prototype for the undead: the mindless corpse that is void of its prior consciousness. And the
preferred food source of the undead has become like law for any pop–culture universe about
zombies–even undead superheroes will eat people in the comic books from the Marvel Zombies
series. As the prototypical zombie thought experiment, the Night of the Living Dead allows the
audience to confidently respond to any questions about the undead's identity, actions, or morality by
referring to that void of ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Romero's Mindless Undead I initiate the discourse on the purpose of consciousness by first
introducing Night of the Living Dead, as an effort to reveal an intuitive claim as a running theme of
the movie: consciousness is what distinguishes me from the living dead. Romero's Night of the
Living Dead can teach us about what our assumptions on the purpose of higher consciousness by
having it be the root feature that distinguishes the living from the undead. When Johnny dies and his
corpse comes back from the local cemetery, the consciousness of his mind is left behind–there
remains only emptiness inside the zombie. As his consciousness vanishes, so does the person that
we used call Johnny–the corpse itself is now just a mindless shell. The Romero zombie comes back
as completely subject to the zombie law of nature; leaving behind the mind, all that they can do is
what a zombie does–and all zombies devour. The absolute mindlessness that characterizes the
zombies in Romero's creation, reflects on the idea, that, a free–acting human being can be reduced
to nothing more than a mindless corpse by stripping away their consciousness. Also apparent in the
Night of the Living Dead, is the assumption, that, it is from consciousness that I claim to have an
identity, to act on reasons and to rise above my innate instincts–all of which are concepts

Rene Descartes 'Cortigo Ergo Sum'
Everyone experiences consciousness, yet no one knows what consciousness really is. French
philosopher, Rene Descartes famously said "Cortigo Ergo Sum", a philosophical proposition
meaning, "I think therefor I am" (Tononi 292). What Descartes was implying is that the
phenomenon of thought characterizes consciousness. While this claim may be off base, it serves as
an integral starting point in the study of consciousness. According to Tononi, consciousness "is what
vanishes every night when we fall into dreamless sleep and reappears when we wake up or when we
dream. Thus, consciousness is synonymous with experience – any experience – of shapes or sounds,
thoughts or emotions, about the world or about the self" (Tononi 291). Defining consciousness ...
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However, as of now, consciousness is one of those things. The reason consciousness is so perplexing
is because of its ubiquity, it is simple to observe yet hard to describe. The notion of consciousness is
scientifically anomalous, it's simply not something that the parameters of the scientific process can
account for. Consciousness may, in fact, be something that will never be fully understood and is
unable to be explained by an equation like other abstract concepts such as gravity or time. A quote
by Susan Greenwood offers these words of advice about solving the hard

The Influence Of John Locke On Personal Identity
According to John Locke the question "what are you?" is personal identity. As for what personal
identity is Locke states, "depends on consciousness, not on substance" or a soul (John Locke: An
Essay Concerning Human Understanding). Locke seems to define memories as the source of a
consciousness in his chapter of Identity and Diversity. In addition, Locke believes that
consciousness is independent from all substances, but cannot exist independently without a body or
a mind. However, that doesn't mean that consciousness is confined to a particular body or mind. For
example, in Locke's Chapter XXVII Of Identity and Diversity states, "Upon separation of this little
finger, should this consciousness go along with the little finger, and leave the rest of the body, it is
evident the little finger would be the person, the same person; and self then would have nothing to
do with the rest of the body.". Locke asserts that this applies to all parts of the body. This would
suggest that if a person fell into a coma, they would be dead according to lock. As they no longer
have any awareness or can access their memories. Unless somehow the person's consciousness
could be inserted into another individual. For example, if the person in ... Show more content on
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Alzheimer's is a severe form of dementia that gradually eradicates a person's cognitive abilities. The
symptoms include loss of memory, disorientation, mood swings, and behavioral issues. As
Alzheimer's progresses the victim begins to lose control of their bodily functions such as eating,
walking, sitting up, and going to the bathroom by their self (7 Stages of Alzheimer's Disease and
What They Look Like). Consequently, Lock's ideology would not declare them as a person because
they can no longer recall their memories. If they are no longer a person than human rights do not
apply to them anymore, which could result in

The Absolute Ego
During this paper I will discuss Fichte's ideas on the absolute ego and how it pertains to the idea of
God. I will also discus the similarities and also the differences between Fichte and Smakra as
outlined by Lewis. I will then conclude with my remarks and thoughts upon the subject matter.
Fichte was an idealist. This is the belief that nothing is known to us except ideas. Since this was the
belief of Fichte he avoided dualism and instead believed that only that which is in and for
consciousness can be assumed to exist. Fichte thus proceeded to explain experience as the product
of intelligence in itself. This idea of intelligence in itself is the ego. To understand this further we
must "think the wall", once you think the wall then think of the person who thought the wall, and
thus you could go on indefinitely. This shows that no matter how we try to objectify the self there
always remains the pure ego. Furthermore, all can intellectually intuit the pure ego. This is further
explained that anyone who is conscious of an action as his own is aware of himself acting. Once
someone recognizes that an action is their own, the person is able to reflect on their self
consciousness and will realize that they can intuit the pure ego as an infinite activity. The pure ego
itself is not conscious; the pure ego becomes conscious through the philosophers activity directed
towards the pure ego as an activity. Once this occurs the pure ego posits itself. This pure ego is

The Theory Of Self Control And The Decision Making Systems
Some people argue that many unconscious decision–making systems such as reflexes, Procedural,
and Pavlovian are not a part of oneself. However, I would argue that these systems are definitely
parts of oneself because of their correlation with the brain that brings about changes in the mind, and
their neural basis that share some similarities with the deliberative system. Moreover, to claim that
only a decision–making system that exerts self–control belongs to oneself is to overemphasize on
self–control and neglect the other important aspects of self, such as the advantages of these systems
for survival and the neural activities responsible for the decision–making systems.
Those who reject Pavlovian, Procedural, and reflexes as parts of ... Show more content on
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This example demonstrates the quick and simple processes of reflexes that are often elicited by the
interaction between the sensory systems and the motor systems. Reflexes are genetically wired over
evolutionary time into the spinal cord, peripheral nervous system, and central brainstem. (Redish,
2013)
Furthermore, the Pavlovian system is also advantageous for survival. The Pavlovian actions are
often emotional responses, of which the processes are prewired contingent on the conditioned
stimuli. In other words, in the Pavlovian system, the actions are not learned but the cues to elicit the
responses are. For animals, reproduction is crucial for survival. In Japanese quails, for instance, the
male needs to approach a female to have a chance of copulation in naturalistic environment. Domjan
and colleagues (1986) conducted an experiment to pair the approach behavior of the male with the
conditioned stimulus such as a light. Thus, the male learned that the light was associated with the
approach behavior and the access to a female quail. Thus, whenever the light was turned on, the
male could demonstrate approach behavior. This Pavlovian action–selection system facilitates the
reproductive responses that are crucial for survival purposes.
The procedural system creates habits and actions dependent on different

Consciousness Is The Subjective Perception Of The Self Essay
Consciousness has been referred to as ''the hard problem'' and still remains to be one of the most
baffling conundrums of our generation. Consciousness is the subjective perception of the self.
Consciousness allows us to feel happy, to solve problems, and to create memories.
Consciousness has historically laid beyond the confines of science. Rene Descartes, a French
philosopher, laid down the foundation of the study of consciousness by reflecting on what it meant
to be conscious. Descartes was the one who introduced the idea of the mind as separate from the
body, otherwise known as Cartesian Dualism. Descartes' several theories sparked major controversy
and discussion about consciousness. During the twentieth century, consciousness was seen as a
taboo because usage of the word became overused and there was no precise way to describe it, so
the word was 'banned'. Consciousness is a psychological construct because of its difficulty to be
observed and measured, which is why it can easily be seen as a taboo. Consciousness has gradually
became easier to define, and because it is now accepted in the world of science, it has begun to
address some of the most challenging questions of our time.
Since consciousness is now at the forefront of neuroscientific research , neuroscientists are able to
address daunting questions like that of vegetative patients and whether they are conscious, how to
diagnose these patients, and whether or not there are therapeutic interventions available,

Allegory Of The Cave And The Matrix Relate To...
Self consciousness is a trait that all human beings have. Some people have a good self
consciousness and some people don't. It's something that everybody should be aware of and what to
bring up in that state. We may think we know something in full detail, but do we really know the
complete truth? As I'm growing older, I'm learning to step out in the real world and out of my
comfort zone. To what it means to be a conscious adult that can make decisions on its own and still
help others. The Allegory of the Cave and The Matrix both study this topic at one point in their text.
Plato explores the idea that we're kept prisoners, can only see in what's front of us, see shadows of
real objects and presume that is the reality, when really all we need to do is escape those bonds and
see for ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Making things clear in the light "He would need then, to grow accustomed before he could see
things in that upper world. At first, it would be easiest to make out shadows, and then the images of
men and things reflected in water, and later on the things themselves" (Plato 514). Since I'm going
to go to college next year I need to be able to know what it's like stepping into the real world. That it
isn't some kind of joke, but rather something that will be my home for the next few years. The
Matrix also challenges this theory. Neo is pulled away from a cave when he sees the real world.
Everything he thought that was real was only a mirage just like the shadows on the walls and the
statues that made those shadows. Once he realizes that everything is just an illusion he realizes it's
his mission to help others. During the last scene, where the Agents integrate Morpheus to learn his
access codes to the mainframe computer Zion the rebel humans last refuge in the real world. Tank
proposes that Morpheus should be killed to prevent the access codes from leaking

Singer's Distinction Between Sentience and Self-Consciousness
Singer's distinction between sentience and self–consciousness Introduction In the past, a number of
uprisings rose from the oppressed groups all over the world. The oppressed realized the ill treatment
and consequently to the initiative to campaign vigorously for equality. Equality is the treatment of
all persons with the same preference. For instance, the Black Liberation Movement called for
equality with the whites (Chappell, 2011). These are people with a consciousness and ability to
sense. They saw and felt the oppressive nature of the white's treatment against them and reacted.
However, the innate things such as trees, animals, both human and non–human do not have
expressive ability that people can understand. Rights activist people and groups continue to elicit
mixed reactions due to their call for fair treatment of such animals. Sentience and self–
consciousness It is difficult to realize the latent prejudice in the personal attributes towards
particular groups until the prejudiced forcefully point it to us. A liberation call demands that we
expand the moral horizons and the reinterpretation of basic moral principle of equality. The practices
that in the previous were natural are now inevitably unjustifiable prejudice (Höchsmann, 2002). This
raises the question of whether the attitudes we exhibit are void of criticism. The rise of animal
protection groups and the laws that govern and guard the animal's rights brings a completely
different perspective of equality.

African Self-Consciousness
The intended purpose of this study was to find a relationship between African self–consciousness
and psychological well–being. Precisely, to observe if the African self–consciousness of African
descent college students had an effect on their psychological well–being. Results of this study
indicated that there is a positive correlation between African self–consciousness and psychological
well–being. These findings were consistent with Baldwin (1985) who found that African self–
consciousness was a prominent factor in determining differences in psychological functioning,
aspects of psychological well–being, and behavior in Black college students. It was also consistent
with the finding of Baldwin & Bell (1985) who found that healthy Black personality

It Is The Greatest Mystery Of All
"How can a three–pound mass of jelly that you can hold in your palm imagine angels, contemplate
the meaning of infinity, and even question its own place in the cosmos? Especially awe inspiring is
the fact that any single brain, including yours, is made up of atoms that were forged in the hearts of
countless, far–flung stars billions of years ago. These particles drifted for eons and light–years until
gravity and change brought them together here, now. These atoms now form a conglomerate– your
brain– that can not only ponder the very stars that gave it birth but can also think about its own
ability to think and wonder about its own ability to wonder. With the arrival of humans, it has been
said, the universe has suddenly become conscious of itself. This, truly, it the greatest mystery of all."
–VS Ramachandran
After the first unit and research paper, the classmates of PSYV 358 learned all about what
consciousness is: how it is defined, different theories of why it exists, its benefits. I specifically
learned that consciousness could ultimately be defined as the state or quality of awareness. It is
often described as an evolved property, one that as far as we are able to define, is unique to humans
at the level of self–consciousness. Going back to Chalmers, and the neuroscientific problems of
consciousness, it could be said that answering 'where is consciousness?' would fall under the
category of the hard problem. Restated from the last research paper, the hard problem is

Self-Awareness In Locke's 'On Identity And Diversity'
Self–awareness is the capacity for introspection and the ability to recognize oneself as an individual
separate from the environment and other individuals.
In philosophy
An early philosophical discussion of self–awareness is that of John Locke. Locke was apparently
influenced by René Descartes ' statement normally translated 'I think, therefore I am ' . In chapter
XXVII "On Identity and Diversity" of Locke 's An Essay Concerning Human Understanding he
conceptualized consciousness as the repeated self–identification of oneself, through which moral
responsibility could be attributed to the subject–and therefore punishment and guiltiness justified, as
critics such as Nietzsche would point out, affirming "...the psychology of conscience ... Show more
The 'Red Spot Technique' created and experimented by Gordon Gallup studies self–awareness in
animals . In this technique, a red odorless spot is placed on an anesthetized primate's forehead. The
spot is placed on the forehead so that it can only be seen through a mirror. Once the individual
awakens, independent movements toward the spot after seeing their reflection in a mirror are
observed. During the Red Spot Technique, after looking in the mirror, chimpanzees used their
fingers to touch the red dot that was on their forehead and even after touching the red dot they
would smell their fingertips. "Animals that can recognize themselves in mirrors can conceive of
themselves," says Gallup. This would mean that the chimpanzees would possess self–awareness.
Note that the chimpanzees have had experience with a mirror before the 'Red Spot Technique' was
performed. Having experience with a mirror before the technique was performed reflects the past,
independent movement while looking in the mirror would reflect the present, and touching the red
dot would reflect what others' are thinking which relates perfectly to Gallup's statement in the
beginning of this article. a mirror was presented with the reflective side facing the magpie being the
only interpretation of the bird seeing the marked spot they had on them. During one trial with a
mirror and a mark, three out of the five magpies showed a minimum of one example of self–directed

The Basic Ideas Of Science Of Mind
SPIRITUAL REALIZATION "Clear thinking, health, happiness, friendships, and prosperity are all
important and worthy. They are steps on the stairway up which man climbs in his ascent in spiritual
realization." The Basic Ideas of Science of Mind, pg. 77 Self–denial A traditional approach to
spiritual realization would include repetitive prayer, painful disciplines, suffering misfortune, social
isolation, and poverty. Most who take such a path of self–denial expect to realize something of great
value and personal significance; but there is an incongruity in practicing self–denial as a means of
self–awareness. The end negates the means! The objective refutes the methodology. The destination
denies the journey. If there is any validity to self–denial then ignorance is the only end that would be
justified by such means. A spiritual pilgrim on the path of self–denial would never arrive at the
realization he seeks, for he would have to deny himself the benefit, the satisfaction, the fulfillment,
the achievement of spiritual realization. Though, one might argue that upon reaching the destination,
the manner of travel is abandoned so that you may enter in. But the impossibility of the situation is
not just a matter of how difficult you make it. The person who is truly dedicated to self–denial must
reject the idea that they are themselves the spiritual being they seek to realize, to know, to love and
accept. You can't arrive at spiritual realization by way of self–denial.

Descartes And John Locke 's Views On Consciousness, Self,...
Seventeenth century philosophers René Descartes and John Locke endeavored to question the views
on consciousness, self, and personal identity. They examined belief in God, the certainty of
knowledge, and the role of mind and body. The goal of this paper is to deliberate John Locke's and
René Descartes views on "self" and personal identity and how each come to examine how
knowledge is captured. René Descartes and John Locke both present arguments that are rational in
the discussion of consciousness, self, and personal identity, but each lack conclusive evidence that
would provide the proof necessary to believe one or the other philosophies are true.
René Descartes examined our very existence and our perceptions of truth. He debated the ... Show
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Locke rationalizes, an older person may not remember their "self" as young child, but they have
memories from when they were middle–aged. When they were middle–aged, they remember their
"self" as a young child, therefore their consciousness can be linked.
One way in which Descartes and Locke differ is their opinions of how knowledge is attained.
Descartes ascertained that you could only gain knowledge through reasoning and not reasoning and
senses together. He concluded that senses can deceive us and should not be trusted. Descartes states,
"I will suppose, then, that everything I see is fictitious. I will believe that my memory tells me
nothing but lies. I have no senses. Body, shape, extension, movement and place are illusions. So
what remains true? Perhaps just the one fact that nothing is certain!" (Descartes). Descartes
identified the mind as a thinking substance and bodies as material substances. Descartes is a
rationalist, as he believed knowledge could be gained without experiencing it in the real world.
Conversely, Locke felt that individuals gained knowledge through real world experiences. He
believed in two kinds of complex ideas: ideas of substances and ideas of modes. In The

Descartes : The Four Views Of The Enduring Self
1 b) The four views of the enduring self includes: the body identifies who the person is, the soul
defines the person, consciousness or memory defines the person, and the no–self view.
The first view is the belief that the person is who they are because of the body they live in. Their
body defines them as an enduring self. It describes that although a person goes through physical
changes by growth and mental changes by education and possibly health may affect this, that the
person is essentially the same throughout their lifetime. The brain can be affected by diseases such
as dementia, altered by medications, or even disrupted by severe traumatic injury, but the person in
the body is still the same. Plato questioned whether or not this belief was factual. He struggled to
understand how a person remained the same with the extraordinary amount of changes that happens
to them and their body throughout their lifetime.
The view that the soul defines a persons enduring self implies that anything within the spiritual
realm in the mind of a person is what defines them. This would mean that if by chance a person's
soul could be placed inside another person's body then that body containing that soul would identify
the person. Descartes believed this to be true, but there is the argument of evidence because we can't
see a person's soul.
The view that consciousness defines the enduring self because the memories that a person has and
retains in their mind is what defines them as a

Pathophysiologic Process Essay
B00752675
Just as life and death complement each other, the self is comprised in similar respects. Humans are
typically characterized as having a consciousness, which consists of thoughts and memories, and a
body. For a person to no longer possess a distinct self, a change in consciousness or to the body
would have to occur. Diseases, for example, that affect the brain's functions, including memory loss
and abnormal thoughts, can interrupt a person's everyday activities; in addition, a person suffering
from a mental disease has difficulties identifying himself or herself thus suggesting the person is a
changed self. Further, people with alterations to the body can be perceived as a new self from
friends and family who no longer identify the family member or friend as the same person because
of the physical change to his or her body. For this reason, a change in consciousness and to the body
changes the uniqueness of an individual and, therefore, results in a changed self. ... Show more
Locke believed that the self is comprised of consciousness which consists of thoughts and
memories; he believes that if memories are lost, the self is changed. Consciousness is altered with
the destruction or deterioration of brain tissue. With damaged brain tissue, the thoughts and
memories of a person change or disappear altogether. An example of this pathophysiologic process
is Alzheimer's disease, "a disease that destroys memory and other mental functions," (Alzheimer's).
This particular disease impairs a person's ability to recognize familiar items, people, places, as well
as identify and understand the person's identity. Neuroscience has proven the harmful effects of this
disease on the brain, most notably in the hippocampus. Scientific evidence and Locke's idea of
consciousness suggests that this disease impairs a person's thoughts and memories and subsequently
changes the

Unified Consciousness and the Nature of Mental Unity

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