Back to Topic 6.2 — Science and the self

6.2.2Philosophy SL8 flashcards

The minimal self vs the narrative self

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6.2.2

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The minimal self?

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All 8 Flashcards — The minimal self vs the narrative self

Card 1definition

Question

The minimal self?

Answer

The bare here-and-now subject having your experience right now — thin, but present even without memories or plans.

Card 2definition

Question

The narrative self?

Answer

The ongoing story you tell about who you are over your whole life, built from memories and plans.

Card 3comparison

Question

Minimal vs narrative — the contrast?

Answer

Minimal = thin and now (a bare experiencer); narrative = thick and over time (a whole life told as a story).

Card 4example

Question

What does memory loss show?

Answer

The minimal self survives it (someone still feels the pain); the narrative self breaks when the life-story breaks.

Card 5concept

Question

What the minimal self captures — and misses?

Answer

Captures the raw fact that experience has an owner; misses everything that makes you a particular person.

Card 6concept

Question

What the narrative self captures — and misses?

Answer

Captures the rich, particular you; misses that the story may be partly edited, so partly made.

Card 7concept

Question

How does the narrative self link to no-self?

Answer

If the self is a story we edit, there may be no solid self underneath — only a tale we keep telling.

Card 8concept

Question

Minimal vs narrative — one line

Answer

You're both a bare here-and-now experiencer and a life-long story; the question is which one is the you that matters.

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Topic 6.2 hub

Science and the self

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