A Pattern Theory of Self

Shaun Gallagher

Čtvrteční seminář CTS

I propose a pattern theory of self modeled on a recent pattern account of emotions. On this theory a self is not defined by any one thing; it's constituted by a pattern of variables that include embodied, experiential, affective, psychological/cognitive, intersubjective, and extended aspects. Self is a cluster concept, which includes a sufficient number of these characteristic aspects; taken together a certain pattern of characteristic features constitute an individual self. A self may lack a particular characteristic feature and still be considered a self, although there may be some minimal number of characteristic features that are sufficient to constitute a particular pattern that counts as a self. I suggest some philosophical benefits that follow from this theory.