There is no unified self

You have more than one self

Throughout history the West has promoted the unified self. Whether it is the Christian emphasis on inner purity or the rationalist focus on eliminating contradictions in thought and reason, we have long believed that the unified self is a worthy objective. In this article, Kenneth Gergen argues that the desire for self-unity is ultimately mistaken. To adapt to the ever-changing modern world and to work with others to achieve the public good, we must shift our starting point from the fixed unified self to fluid and complex social processes.

This article is presented in association with Closer To Truth, a partner for HowTheLightGetsIn Festival 2024.

 

Western culture has had long romance with the idea of a mind within the body, a regnant force somewhere behind the eyes. One could trace such dedication to Aristotle, and his complex vision of an animating soul. Christianity picked up the thread but anointed it with a spiritual oil. For Descartes and Kant the soul reappears in secularised form as thought process, while Freud later spied unconscious forces twisting and disturbing the thinker. One might say that that the realm behind the eyeballs is like a blank slate upon which culture may inscribe the fantasies of the times. How could it be otherwise? If we invent an imaginary space, what are the limits and evidential barriers in how we select its population?

This is not to argue for abandoning this tradition of speculation. To abandon all of humankind’s imaginaries would rob us of most that’s worth living for. These attributed ingredients of the psyche have served not only to unite communities and foster a nurturing sense of being, but also – precisely because of their undecidability – they sustain the vital questions of “who am I?” and “who are we together?” To terminate such questioning is to seal the door of imagination itself. 

At the same time, attention to the fit between such assumptions and the conditions of the times is important. How does the embrace of a given belief function within existing conditions; how does it contribute to well-being; what is lost; who is oppressed?  And if such concepts as the sanctified soul or unconscious pariahs are losing their salience in contemporary life, what are their replacements, and what are their promises? In effect we shift from wobbly questions of ontological justification to pragmatic questions of the relationship between our beliefs about persons and the contribution of these beliefs to human wellbeing.                                                                                   

___

With deep roots in Western history, and blossoming in the 20th century, we find a widely shared belief in the ideal of what can be termed a unified self.

___

Continue reading

Enjoy unlimited access to the world's leading thinkers.

Start by exploring our subscription options or joining our mailing list today.

Start Free Trial

Already a subscriber? Log in

Latest Releases
Join the conversation

Anthony Larson 30 March 2025

Effective Lottery Spell By Lord Meduza

Personal growth is important for achieving success in life. All these words were shared with me by Lord Meduza, who performed a spell reading for me and created a lottery spell that turned me into a lottery champion of $112 million here in Arizona. Within 48 hours of adhering to all of Lord Meduza's divine instructions, he granted me the chance to use the divine lottery numbers to enter the lottery after I bought my ticket in Tempe. A week later, I was informed that I had become the fortunate Jackpot winner of the game, and this was all made possible by Lord Meduza. Kindly express my gratitude to him for his impactful words and actions. For a transformative opportunity, contact him via
Email: Lordmeduzatemple@hotmail. com
Call/WhatsApp: +1 8 0 7 9 0 7 2 6 8 7
God Bless You Lord Meduza.

Anthony Larson 30 March 2025

Effective Lottery Spell By Lord Meduza

Personal growth is important for achieving success in life. All these words were shared with me by Lord Meduza, who performed a spell reading for me and created a lottery spell that turned me into a lottery champion of $112 million here in Arizona. Within 48 hours of adhering to all of Lord Meduza's divine instructions, he granted me the chance to use the divine lottery numbers to enter the lottery after I bought my ticket in Tempe. A week later, I was informed that I had become the fortunate Jackpot winner of the game, and this was all made possible by Lord Meduza. Kindly express my gratitude to him for his impactful words and actions. For a transformative opportunity, contact him via
Email: Lordmeduzatemple @ hotmail. com
Call/WhatsApp: +1 8 0 7 9 0 7 2 6 8 7
God Bless You Lord Meduza.

grace landon 22 March 2025

I was so lucky to win the $1 million prize in the lottery. I have been playing the powerball lottery for about 20 years, and i didn't win any big amount until Dr. Lucas helped me with his spiritual winning numbers, I thought it was all fake until he gave me the numbers and directed me on how to play. He gave me assurance that I was going to win and asked me to give him 48 hours to finish his work, which I did. The third day, he gave me the numbers and gave me instructions on how to play, and luckily, I won. I want to let everyone who is reading this to know that this spell really works and you can also be a winner if you give it a try to see for yourself. The moment you contact Dr Lucas for help is the end of suffering in your life, he has been helping people around the world and I'm happy that I'm among those who has benefited from his great work he's doing, you can reach him if you really want to win the lottery Email: Drlucasspelltemple@gmail. com Or WhatsApp +234 904 794 3567 Thank You

Emily Naomi 10 March 2025

Hi everyone I am Emily Naomi wanna give a big thanks to this wonderful psychic for bringing my husband back to me.. I never really believed in magic spells or anything spiritual but a trusted friend opened my eyes to the truth about life. My marriage was heading to divorce a few months ago. I was so confused and devastated with no clue or help on how to prevent it, till I was introduced to this psychic Priest Ray that did a love spell and broke every spiritual distraction from my marriage. A day later my husband started showing me love and care even better than it used to be, he’s ready to talk things through and find ways for us to stay happy. It’s such a miracle that my marriage can be saved so quickly without stress. You can also contact him for help by email psychicspellshrine@gmail. com or WhatsApp: +27613732619

Mason Cooper 30 November 2024

I saw testimonies online on how Dr Uwaifo helped a lot of people in winning Powerball. A huge amount, so I decided to contact him for winning lottery numbers, Dr Uwaifo did the spell and he gave me the winning lottery numbers. But believe me when the draws were out I was among the winners. I won $730 Millions Dollars Powerball. I have confirmed Dr Uwaifo is a real and guaranteed powerful spell caster. Now I am a living testimony of his good work, a gifted man with great powers, it is my secret but I decided to make the world know about his work. It might be a help to others who are interested. My comment might look funny to you but it is the truth, believe it and give Dr Uwaifo a try, and I promise you that it will not be funny when you win and share a testimony too. It’s not everybody that is naturally lucky, if you have problems with winning the lottery, the solution to win is Dr Uwaifo So contact him now. Via email : druwaifospelltemple@gmail. com or a text: +1(315) 277-2762.

ashley ashleywalters 29 October 2024

My name is ashley walters !!! i am very grateful sharing this great testimonies with you all, The best thing that has ever happened in my life, is how I won the Powerball lottery. I do believe that someday i will win the Powerball lottery. Finally my dreams came through when i contacted Dr. OSE and tell him i needed the lottery winning special numbers cause i have come a long way spending money on ticket just to make sure i win. But i never knew that winning was so easy with the help of Dr. OSE, until the day i meant the spell caster testimony online, which a lot of people has talked about that he is very powerful and has great powers in casting lottery spell, so i decided to give it a try. I emailed Dr. OSE and he did a spell and gave me the winning lottery special numbers 62, and co-incidentally I have be playing this same number for the past 23years without any winning, But believe me when I play the special number 62 this time and the draws were out i was the mega winner because the special 62 matched all five white-ball numbers as well as the Powerball, in the April 4 drawing to win the $70 million jackpot prize...… Dr. OSE, truly you are the best, with Dr. OSE you can will millions of money through lottery. i am a living testimony and so very happy i meant him, and i will forever be grateful to him...… you can Email him for your own winning special lottery numbers now oseremenspelltemple @ gmail. com whatsapp +2348136482342

Patrick Shah 24 September 2024

Reminiscent of the hypothesis that consciousness is received by the body, rather than being an emergent property of the brain.