The formation of the self as mental unity and moral agency in hume’s philosophy

Download

index.pdf

Date

2008

Author

Neslioğlu, E. Funda

Metadata

Show full item record

Item Usage Stats

83
views

22
downloads

This dissertation proposes to analyze the stages in the formation of the idea of self in Hume’s philosophy. According to Hume we have no a simple and individual impression that we can call the self where the self is the totality of conscious life of a person. Nevertheless, we do have an idea of personal identity that must be accounted for. He begins his explanation of this idea by noting that our perceptions are fleeting, and he concludes from this that all we are is a bundle of different perceptions. But as a result of such a consideration Hume argues that he failed to find sufficient account for the relation between the idea of self involved in the indirect passions of pride and humility and the idea of self associated with its mental aspect. In this dissertation it is attempted to show that these two aspects of the self do not contradict, but rather they co-exist, and such a co-existence of the two aspects of the self should be recognised as an empirical fact. This means that the self is not a mere bundle of perceptions, but it is at least a very peculiar form of the relational unity of perceptions.

Subject Keywords

Knowledge, Theory of

URI

http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/3/12609329/index.pdf
https://hdl.handle.net/11511/17554

Collections

Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis

Suggestions

OpenMETU
Core

The quiddity of knowledge in Kant's critical philosophy Serin, İsmail; Ceylan, Yasin; Department of Philosophy (2004) In this thesis the quiddity of knowledge in Kant's critical philosophy has been investigated within the historical context of the problem. In order to illustrate the origins of the subject-matter of the dissertation, the historical background of Kant's views on the theory of knowledge has been researched too. As a result of this research, it is concluded that Kant did not invent a new philosophical problem, but he tried to improve a decisive solution for one of the oldest question of history of philosophy i...
The critiques of the enlightenment by Max Horkheimer and Theodor Adorno and their understanding of a new method and philosophy Yenisoy, Eylem; Turan, Şeref Halil; Department of Philosophy (2006) The strong part of Horkheimer and Adorno’s philosophy is their critique of the Enlightenment. They argue that the consequent of the Enlightenment has been the destruction of the Enlightenment itself. There are two main reasons in the background of this destruction. First of them is the destruction of individual because of the understanding of reason in the Enlightenment. Individuals cannot define their existence beyond the determined roles of society any more. The second reason is the certain distinction be...
Marx's epistemology : the relationship between reality and knowledge Can, Eren; Parkan, Barış; Department of Philosophy (2011) The purpose of this thesis is to elaborate on the Marx’s theory of knowledge. Historical materialism presented in the German Ideology and the methodological remarks in Grundrisse have led to many discussions concerning the relation between knowledge and reality in Marx’s philosophy. This thesis tried to explore the interrelationships between the kinds of knowledge we produce, abstract concepts and the concrete material conditions, as elaborated by Marx. In contrast to traditional epistemology, and more alon...
The role of imagination in Kant's first critique Barın, Özlem; Ceylan, Yasin; Department of Philosophy (2003) The purpose of this study is to examine the role of imagination in Immanuel Kant̕s Critique of Pure Reason by means of a detailed textual analysis and interpretation. In my systematic reading of the Kantian text, I analyse how the power of imagination comes to the foreground of Kant̕s investigation into the transcendental conditions of knowledge. This is to explain the mediating function of imagination between the two distinct faculties of the subject; between sensibility and understanding. Imagination achi...
The problem of self-knowledge in Kant's critique of pure reason Haşar, Ekim; Çırakman, Elif; Department of Philosophy (2010) The self-knowledge has been a central problem throughout the history of philosophy, but it has remained, as Kant also declares, as the ―most difficult‖ of all tasks of reason. In this study, I scrutinize the grounds of this difficulty and search for the answers to the question ―what can we comprehend about the notion of self from a Kantian standpoint?‖ In this respect, this study is a reading of Kant‘s Critique of Pure Reason with the focus of the problem of self-knowledge. We can see that this concept has ...

Citation Formats

E. F. Neslioğlu, “The formation of the self as mental unity and moral agency in hume’s philosophy,” Ph.D. - Doctoral Program, Middle East Technical University, 2008.