It is difficult to say where this topic should have been placed for it is dependent on the individuals
concept of Self. In relation to this forum, is Self a spiritual, philosophical, practical or sexual subject;
or is it all of the above?
It appears almost impossible to deny Self as one appears to know one is a Self, but is that Self an
illusion. Is Self an independent entity or is it just a part of a whole?
The subject of Self defines the essential qualities that make one person distinct from all others. The
Self is the idea of a being which is the source of consciousness. Moreover, this Self is responsible for
the thoughts and actions of an individual to which they are attributed. To another person, the Self of
one individual is presented in the conduct of that individual. The particular characteristics of the Self
determine its identity.
The spiritual goal of many traditions involves the dissolving of the ego, allowing Self-knowledge of
one's own true nature to become experienced and portrayed in the world. Knowing the Self is
enlightenment. Mastering the Self requires strength. Adi Shankaracharya, in his commentary on
Bhagavad Gita says, "Self-knowledge alone eradicates misery, Self-knowledge alone is the means to
the highest bliss and that absolute perfection is the consummation of Self-knowledge."
Avicenna, while he was imprisoned in a castle, wrote his famous "Floating Man" thought experiment
to demonstrate human self-awareness and the substantiality of the soul. His "Floating Man" thought
experiment tells its readers to imagine themselves suspended in the air, isolated from all sensations,
which includes no sensory contact with even their own bodies. He argues that, in this scenario, one
would still have self-consciousness. He thus concludes that the idea of the self is not logically
dependent on any physical thing, and that the soul should not be seen in relative terms, but as a
primary given, a substance. This argument was later refined and simplified by René Descartes when
he stated: "I can abstract from the supposition of all external things, but not from the supposition of
my own consciousness."
Ramana Maharshi said “The source or seat of "I" consciousness is the true Self. Self itself is the
world, Self itself is 'I', Self itself is God; all is the Supreme Self. Although his primary teaching was
Self-enquiry, he was also known to have advised the use of Self-surrender (to one's Deity or Guru) as
an alternative means, which would ultimately converge in to the path of Self-Enquiry.
Daniel Dennett has a deflationary theory of the "Self". Selves are not physically detectable. People
constantly tell themselves stories to make sense of their world, and they feature in the stories as a
character, and that convenient but fictional character is the self.
Please note that much of the material above was extracted from Wikipedia, but the content matches
my thoughts on the subject.