I've always struggled with these notions that the self, or individuality is some kind of construction, or a matter of linguistics or political economy or whatever. I can comprehend Buddhism denying the existence of a self at other levels of abstraction to the ones we ordinarily live in. But I cannot comprehend how someone can come to these conclusions without recourse to mysticism, telepathy or Borg technology.
Nobody else can access my experience. Nobody can move my arm from the inside like I can, nobody can see through my eyes, read my memories or know how it feels to type this right now, sitting on my bed with my cat beside me. My experience is inaccessible to others unless I communicate it to them, with great inaccuracy and crudeness through some system of symbols.
To me, this existential situation seems much more of a foundation for the individual self than linguistics, capitalism, or whatever Edward Bernays did 70 odd years ago.
Nobody else can access my experience. Nobody can move my arm from the inside like I can, nobody can see through my eyes, read my memories or know how it feels to type this right now, sitting on my bed with my cat beside me. My experience is inaccessible to others unless I communicate it to them, with great inaccuracy and crudeness through some system of symbols.
To me, this existential situation seems much more of a foundation for the individual self than linguistics, capitalism, or whatever Edward Bernays did 70 odd years ago.