Cosmin Visan: The Problem of the Self

The Problem of the Self

by Cosmin Visan

Continuity/Discontinuity

The problem that seems to arise in all these experiments is the problem of the continuity or discontinuity of the Self. It appears that when a transformation is being done while the Self is awake (so is in a continuous state), the Self survives the transformation. While if the transformation is being done while the Self is unconscious/in a discontinuous state (either asleep or dead), we have trouble imagining who is the person that emerges after the transformation. Is it the same Self? Is it a different Self?

Luckily, we experience both states, so maybe we can find an answer there. While awake, we experience the continuous change and even though our state is changing throughout the day, we are still the same person. We also experience discontinuities each night, but when we wake up, we are still the same Self, even though certain changes are taking place in our brain during sleep. But what about the more serious discontinuity that will await for us at the end of our life?

In what respect does that discontinuity differ from the one that we encounter each night? In the light of the thought experiments presented in this paper, I would suggest that a nice surprise is in store for us at the end of our lives. We may find out that death is only a moment of discontinuity in which the Self encounters a transformation, but is not destroyed.

Excellent topic and paper there. I recently had a conscious experience with this continuity/discontinuity thing actually!

Whilst on a rather unpleasant bus journey, covering the length of the country up and down in 24 hours, one tends to fall asleep to mitigate the boredom, or the pain in your back, take your pick! 

It's late at night, so naturally I go for the sleepy option and experience the most annoying phenomena that trying to sleep sitting up with nothing to support you brings. As I enter into another one of the short, head falling forward and then waking up again cycles, it occurred to me that I remembered being somewhere completely different whilst I was asleep, just mere nanoseconds ago. A dream of course.

It was bright, warm, pleasant, vivid and organic. However what peaked my interest was that space in between the dream state and awake state and the conscious experience of that space. 

I remember 'falling' or 'snapping back' into my awake body, and because I must have only been asleep for a very short while, consciously experiencing two very different and vivd places in such a short moment of time is quite the jarring thing. It brought up the thought that, no matter what 'I' experience and wherever that may be, it is reality and 'I' have no idea that there is a difference.