Sunday, October 16, 2016
First Person Plural
Each one of us contains a multitude of selves. I believe that I myself contain a multitude of many "me's" that each have their own place when needed. In "First Person Plural" it stated, "The notion of different selves within a single person is not new." Philosophers like Plato and David Hume both believed this to be true . Walt Whitman gave us an easier version to understand than that of David Hume's explanation. Walt Whitman said, "I am large, I contain multitudes." I can say that I agree to this on some level I do have moments where I feel like there are many versions of myself. I can be a quiet person who likes to stay in the shadows, but I can also be a person who loves being in the spot light. I'm not saying that I totally change into a different person just that there are different parts of myselves that only a few people know about or get to see. I have different personalities that are good when a situation arises and I need to conform to that situation. We as humans are always needing to conform to our surroundings and new things that arise. I am not saying that I have split personalities or anything just that there are times when I feel the need to be different than who I am currently being. There's nothing wrong with wanting to try out something new whether it be a new wardrobe or a new personality. I am still me but there are times in my life where I want to be a little different and try something new. I remember one time after a swim meet I was so exhausted but I knew I had so many things that I needed to do that I could have done right then and rested a lot longer the next morning but instead of doing the work right then and there. I decided to just do it the next day. The next day came and I had forgotten that I was supposed to help some relatives move into their new house. By the time I finished helping my relatives move into their new house it was late and I was exhausted. I did my assignments that night and turned them in the next day and I was surprised that I didn't get as good a grade as I ususally did. I blamed the lazy part of me that could have gotten the work done much earlier and have gotten a better grade on it for not getting the work done at an earlier time. So I do believe that there are multitudes or plurals of ourselves and that they each have there own moments where they come out and make themselves known to us. We as humans have many different parts of us that only a few lucky people get to see.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I think that this is a very interesting topic because I never really too the time to sit back and think about how we all have "inner-selves" or "mini-selves" within our own minds. This can be explained by how humans act in different situations because each inner-self is better accommodated to a certain mindset and how we will react to different situations. I, myself, have personally experienced this myself but were never really conscious of it. This goes back to the right and left hemispheres of the human brain, one side is usually the more "loud" one while the other one is always working we're just not always consciously aware of it. Many people are completely unaware of this fact that everyone has many inner selves and it's a shame because your inner-selves can be beneficial depending on the situation. However having many different selves can cause some internal conflict because the wants of one self collide with the wants of another self. For example your "procatinative" side may want to put off studying for your final exam until tomorrow when you know you won't have as much time. At the same time your "productive self wants to go ahead and get the job done so you have more free time tomorrow. This can cause some internal conflict for obvious reasons but with rational thinking and listening to your right self at the right time you can accomplish your goals.
ReplyDeleteMaking a decision on what step to take, what next to do, what to think and say all depends on the situation in which we find ourselves in. The most amazing part of it all is that the "you" who actually played a major role in the decision making by presenting the outcome in such a good way would still be the same "you" who just makes you hate every single step you took in making that decision.
ReplyDeleteEvery single on of us have this quality. We have "selves" in us. It changes every time. One moment, we are happy and content with a situation and after a while we become so furious and irritated about that same situation. But in all everything ties back to exactly what is going on presently in our lives, the thought of what happened in the past and the hope of what would happen in the future.
I am completely that way. I might be terribly sad at the moment. Everything might seem to absolutely make no sense but within a few hours you would probably see me smiling and super happy all because one of the "selves" in me just consoled me by telling me there are millions of things to happy about rather than just dwelling in sadness.
ReplyDeleteThis topic is quite interesting because it really makes a person dig deep into their consciousness self, trying to remember what they do on a daily basis, or what they say. I believe that humans are made up of multitudes of consciousness’, or a plural as the reading implies. “While knowing the right thing to do can be terribly difficult, the decision is still based on the rational thoughts of a rational being.” As humans and as beings we are all individuals, what makes us unique is our different personalities, likes, dislikes, thoughts, actions. All of these uniqueness’ are brought about by our multitudes of consciousness’ in that in each part of our day, or our lives, we have a different ‘voice’ in our head. As the reading explains, we talk differently or act differently around different people, we are different when we are in different situations. These differences ultimately stay with each different situation, sort of like the saying “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas”. Sometimes we do choose to “eat the cake” because we just want it, or we don’t because something in our brain tells us it is bad for us, because we are in a different situation and we are in different thought.
I think that this was an intriguing article that is relevant to everybody. Everyone has different versions of themselves based on the different time or situation. The person you express yourself as to your best friends is not anything like the way you express yourself around your boss, parents or teachers. The student in your classes who is assumed to be super studious, responsible and shy, you would never expect to see at a party drinking on the weekend. There is also the problem of inner good and bad. You tell yourself that you are going to do all of these things when you get out of class or work such as laundry, dishes or homework, but when you get home you tell yourself that it can wait, it’s been a long day at work and time to relax. For example, this past weekend I had 3 calculus homework’s to complete online by Monday and I did not start working on it until Sunday evening. I was stressed out and angry at myself for not working on the assignment earlier in the weekend. Everyone procrastinates and has a battle inside their own head about whether they should start doing what they need to get done yet or not. Many people are using “self-binding” as method to cope with being unable to balance inner selves competing with each other. The idea of making your future self being forced into getting something done.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with the statement that we each contain a multitude of selves. Everyone has a different version of their self at different times.In "First Person Plural" it says, "But it is radical in that it gives up the idea that there is just one self per head. The idea is that instead, within each brain, different selves are continually popping in and out of existence." Which I find to be completely true. Depending on every situation I can find myself perceiving something very similar two completely different ways due to the way my brain is reacting to my surroundings.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you 100%. We do have those sides of us, only a few people actually see. Well i know i do, i cant speak for everyone. In "First Person Plural" it says, "The multiplicity of selves becomes more intuitive as the time span increases." I think it means the more versions of yourself come with experience you've shared with yourself or another. Also, i think as times goes on, you slowly have multitude of your mind and personality. I relate to this very much, because i do have sides of me , i just don't show to everybody, and then there's sides i do show to people.
ReplyDeleteA person's mind is composed of several different voices, as previously stated by the post above. Different voices arise in different situations, like an example given in the text "even the most thuggish teenager is not the same around his buddies as he is when having tea with Grandma." I personally think of the animated move "Inside Out" where there are separate entities in each person's mind that, depending on the situation, are louder than the others. We would have to have different voices in our heads to allow the process of decision making. If there was just a single voice there would be no reason to make decisions because there would be no alternatives.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your observation of the article. Everyone has different sides to them that aren't always displayed. We have the side of us that our family and friends know, the side we display to strangers, and the side that WE only get to see. I think we're all made up of different multitudes. This is human nature and comes natural. Just like you restated from First person plural "The notion of different selves within a single person is not new".
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you have said in your article. Every person has multiple sides to who they are. No one person simply has just ones side to them, he/she has many different dimensions to who they are at any given time. As it's said in "First Person Plural" is that the brain "gives rise to selves that last over time, plan for the future, and so on." Depending on the situation, your brain can create a version of you to fit what's surrounding you. The person you would be while hanging out with friends is, a lot of the time, completely different person than the one who hangs out with your family. You're still the same person, you've just shifted your personality to fit more comfortably or appropriately into a situation. This is a completely natural response and every different part of you is still 100% you, just a different version of you. As a person grows, he/she gradually increases the amount of selves they have. They experience more which calls for different selves to emerge and to rise to the occasion. The idea of multiple selves is completely relevant and I believe in it completely, because I am conscience of the different sides that I show people. And often, I show these sides without having to think about it, it's just a natural part of who I am.
ReplyDeleteThough I may agree with some points I disagree with the main point. I believe that people are composed of a single, individual consciousness. Though yes, there may not be anything inherently wrong with trying out a new personality like a new wardrobe, I know the reasoning behind wanting to do such a thing comes from their own, singular personality. It was David Hume who wrote “I cannot compare the soul more properly to any thing than to a republic or commonwealth, in which the several members are united by the reciprocal ties of government and subordination.” And when reading this statement from the article I think that the soul he speaks of is more of a government, but not in the way he describes. It is more about the collective, what motivations make up its decisions but in the end the souls is not multiple members, but the commonwealth as a whole. When Walt Whitman said “I am large, I contain multitudes.” I see is more that we, as individuals, are made up of different parts that in turn create the grand whole masterpiece that is our personality. The concept of personality can be as complex as you want to make it and I chose to not lower it to being so simplistic that we need multiple ones within us.
ReplyDelete