Saturday, October 24, 2009

Philosophy Question

The “Bundle Theory” was found by philosopher David Hume which is the idea of being and the relations of being, and what entities exist from being. Hume said that an object consists of a collection or a bundle of properties or relations. There cannot be an object without any properties nor can one conceive of such an object. The bundle theory in relation to identity I believe would be difficult to with agree with because it would say there is no such thing as identity. Saying there is no owner of the mind which includes thoughts and experiences. That the identity would be like just a continuity of space and that would make me wonder how much I would have to experience in order to make me a person. The idea of no “I” or spirit would be a scary idea.

Plato’s theory of the soul says that there are three basic energies which enliven us and comprise our soul: the appetitive, rational, and spirited. The rational with the spirited would have more control than the appetitive which would follow. The appetitive side of the soul is what is responsible for the basic desires people have. It is the survival driven part of the soul and can be driven to extremes when stronger desires arise. The rational part of the soul wants truth and it was made to restrict the other parts of the soul. The spirited part wants love, honor, and victory. It imposes on the rational soul ensuring reason is actually followed. Anger can then be said to be the result of a frustrated spirit.  This theory is difficult for me to agree with because I don’t know exactly how to categorize the parts of the soul and I don’t believe that we have an “appetitive” part of the soul.

I would more closely associate with Plato’s theory of the soul because I believe that we do have an identity versus the theory of us not having one at all. A valid question towards the bundle theory’s idea of us having no identity would be what is holding together the thoughts in our mind. It would have to be something that possibly is a little more esoteric something along the lines of a spirit. I believe that we have a spirit and something like a soul because I know it is true by things I have experience and the fact that I know I am something greater than just my body. I have the ability to make “things” happen through my spirit and sometimes I feel like I just know I caused this or that to happen because I decided, that it would happen.

I know that I have a body, a spirit, and possibly something like a soul. My body is sort of like my container it carries my spirit through the physical universe. My spirit is what was put in my body once I was created in my mother’s womb. I believe that my spirit has probably been around since or before the creation of man although I do not know why I do not remember my past. I must have some sort of soul or identity of my spirit because there is a reason I do things the way and I do, although it has been clouded by American culture. I also believe that every person has eight dynamics which consist of: self, family, your group, plants and animals, MEST, spirit, and infinity. I know that every person has or had the urge to survive towards these eight dynamics and those dynamics make me what I am in this life.

I believe when my body dies my spirit continues onto another body although things can happen on the way to receiving another “container” I know eventually every spirit will find another body for themselves. Still I really care about this body and the time in this body because starting over in a child’s body does not sound so exciting I want to experience everything I have wanted to this time around. Being wrong about this isn’t something that worries me and maybe that because I know I am mostly right.