In The Search Of True Self Summary
In The Search of a True Self
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In the article “In The Search of a True Self”, the author, Prof. Joshua Knobe, puts the hypothesis of the concept of a true self to the test. The author is trying to answer the question of “How can a person know the connection between an individual’s own values and the different judgments about the true self?”
The professor tries to answer the question by asserting that the understanding of the true self of the people involves value judgment, that is, a judgment about the kind of lives people finds worth living. He is trying to demonstrate the relationship between the value judgement and the true self.
He defended his point by using Mark Pierpont’s
homosexual lifestyle case, where Pierpont does not want to give in to his true self, instead, struggles to pursue a Christian life. According to Knobe, 2011, Pierpont betrays himself and surrenders what he values most because of what he picked up from the society that homosexual was immoral or forbidden. This demonstrates that his sexual desires are not the real him. He demonstrated this further by asserting that Pierpont could express his true self only by escaping the shackles of his religious beliefs. Knobe further argued his case by looking to the philosophical tradition, which gives a relatively straightforward answer to the above question. It says that the capacity for rational reflection is the most distinctive and essential to human beings and that to know people’s true self , you should look to the moments when they stops to reflect and think about their deepest values.
Knobe together with his two colleagues - George Newman and Paul Bloom - put the above hypothesis to test and conducted a study involving more than 200 participants categorized as conservatives and liberals. They came up with a conclusion that indeed there is a systematic relationship between people’s own values as well as their judgments about the true self.
However, non-philosophers have contrary opinion about the true self. They suggest that true self lies precisely in people’s suppressed urges as well as unacknowledged emotions, whereas people’s ability to reflect is based on hindrances getting in the way of true self’s expression. According to them, true self of a person comes out when the person is either so drunk or overcome by passion to the extent that they cannot suppress what is deep within them. Non-philosophers view of the true self, however, concurs with Knobe‘s view with regard to Pierpont’s case, where his sexual desires becomes the most fundamental thing to him to the extent of restraining them and not revealing his true self.
He therefore asserts that the question is complex and drawing a strong conclusion from the results from one study. According to him, further research should be conducted because the truth seems to be quite a bit more complex than as it appears.
In conclusion, the author’s argument tends to apply in a real life situation. The true self of a person would be truly reflected on the judgments of that person which would end up corresponding to their own values. A person my take camouflage in his beliefs but the true self will only be reveal when he allows value judgement to take control of him.
Course
Professor’s Name
Institution
Location of Institution
Date
In the article “In The Search of a True Self”, the author, Prof. Joshua Knobe, puts the hypothesis of the concept of a true self to the test. The author is trying to answer the question of “How can a person know the connection between an individual’s own values and the different judgments about the true self?”
The professor tries to answer the question by asserting that the understanding of the true self of the people involves value judgment, that is, a judgment about the kind of lives people finds worth living. He is trying to demonstrate the relationship between the value judgement and the true self.
He defended his point by using Mark Pierpont’s
homosexual lifestyle case, where Pierpont does not want to give in to his true self, instead, struggles to pursue a Christian life. According to Knobe, 2011, Pierpont betrays himself and surrenders what he values most because of what he picked up from the society that homosexual was immoral or forbidden. This demonstrates that his sexual desires are not the real him. He demonstrated this further by asserting that Pierpont could express his true self only by escaping the shackles of his religious beliefs. Knobe further argued his case by looking to the philosophical tradition, which gives a relatively straightforward answer to the above question. It says that the capacity for rational reflection is the most distinctive and essential to human beings and that to know people’s true self , you should look to the moments when they stops to reflect and think about their deepest values.
Knobe together with his two colleagues - George Newman and Paul Bloom - put the above hypothesis to test and conducted a study involving more than 200 participants categorized as conservatives and liberals. They came up with a conclusion that indeed there is a systematic relationship between people’s own values as well as their judgments about the true self.
However, non-philosophers have contrary opinion about the true self. They suggest that true self lies precisely in people’s suppressed urges as well as unacknowledged emotions, whereas people’s ability to reflect is based on hindrances getting in the way of true self’s expression. According to them, true self of a person comes out when the person is either so drunk or overcome by passion to the extent that they cannot suppress what is deep within them. Non-philosophers view of the true self, however, concurs with Knobe‘s view with regard to Pierpont’s case, where his sexual desires becomes the most fundamental thing to him to the extent of restraining them and not revealing his true self.
He therefore asserts that the question is complex and drawing a strong conclusion from the results from one study. According to him, further research should be conducted because the truth seems to be quite a bit more complex than as it appears.
In conclusion, the author’s argument tends to apply in a real life situation. The true self of a person would be truly reflected on the judgments of that person which would end up corresponding to their own values. A person my take camouflage in his beliefs but the true self will only be reveal when he allows value judgement to take control of him.