Mary said:
>
>
>What is the self? The self is the sum total of experiences from
>conception onwards that forms the individual. The self is memory.
>Who would you be if you had no memory? You would not be anybody! If
>you one day woke up like the proverbial duck in a new world without
>any memories at all you would not be you. You would be a
>manifestation of a new-born infant in an adult's body. You would be
>nobody because you wouldn't have any experiences at all to define
>yourself in relation to anything else in the universe.
>
I agree with all you say, but one small point. To what extent to the
personality traits which we undoubtedly inherit from our parents make up
this 'self' ? These arise not purely from experience being pre-
programmed in the *patterns* in our genes. Unless you subscribe to the
view that environment can totally override inheritance.
Of course these potentials for certain patterns may develop differently
according to our experience but twin studies tend to show amazing
likeness in what would have to be recognised as two 'selves'.
So though the new-born infant is 'nobody' it already has a patterns
which are likely to result in a particular type of 'somebody'.
Regards
Pete
--+-----------------------------------------------------------------+ | Pete Fisher at Home: Peter@psfisher.demon.co.uk | | "Do not adjust your mind - there is a fault in the reality" | +-----------------------------------------------------------------+
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