Self, Selfhood

Unlike the related terms “soul,” “consciousness,” “psyche,” “ego,” or “mind,” the concept of “Self” is comparatively free from metaphysical encumbrances. When we remove cultural, theological, physiological, psychological, and neurological theories and “add-ons” from the notion of Self-awareness, what remains is the naked Self. Stripped of import and additives, the Self can be defined as the purest philosophical self-aware entity. As a designation, Self has an overriding advantage over similar terms: as human beings we recognize, instantly and instinctively, what is endowed with Self and what is not. We may debate whether animals have souls or whether plants have feelings or whether rocks are alive or indeed whether the whole universe constitutes some living thing in one form or another, but we are not easily mistaken about the manifestation of Self. Even animists, who believe the entire universe is permeated by souls, have no problem recognizing what is deemed “worthy” of possessing a Self, and what is not. We might not know what a Self is, yet we instantly recognize one when we see it. For this reason the OC eschews all other concepts and uses only the term Self to refer to the self-aware individual. The concept of “soul,” though used throughout the OC, is employed only in a utilitarian or technical sense—namely to designate the ”link” between the First and Second Selves. See also First Self/Second Self and Ouranians.