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    No psychophysical element in a causal series constitutes ... — Carmelics
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    Home/Personal Identity
    HistoryEditSee Inverse

    No psychophysical element in a causal series constitutes a self.

    Consciousness & MindPersonal Identity
    ?Rate how convincing each reason is below to see the overall strength.
    1 reason for
    2 reasons against

    Reasons For

    1 perspective
    Reason for
    ?
    • 1.The ultimate truth about sentient beings is that there exists only a causal series of impermanent, impersonal psychophysical elements.
      ?

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    • 2.All elements in the causal series are impermanent and lack the properties required of a personal essence.
      ?

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    Reasons Against

    2 perspectives
    Reason against 1 of 2
    ?
    • 1.A causal series requires a principle of unity that binds successive elements into one series rather than many disconnected series.
      ?

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    • 2.This unifying principle cannot itself be merely another impermanent element without generating an infinite regress of unifiers.
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    • 3.Therefore, the causal series presupposes a non-elemental organizing identity that the no-self thesis cannot account for.
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    Reason against 2 of 2
    ?
    • 1.Parfit's reductionism, while sympathetic to anatta, concedes that psychological continuity and connectedness constitute a determinate fact about personal identity over time.
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    • 2.If there are determinate facts about which causal series a future person belongs to, there must be a fact-maker that individuates series—functioning as a self.
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    • 3.The Buddhist claim conflates the absence of a Cartesian ego-substance with the absence of any identity-constituting relation, which are logically distinct positions.
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    Topics

    Personal IdentityConsciousness & Mind

    Connections

    1 topic

    Causation1 linked

    Related

    A causal series requires a principle of unity that binds successive elements int...All elements in the causal series are impermanent and lack the properties requir...If there are determinate facts about which causal series a future person belongs...Parfit's reductionism, while sympathetic to anatta, concedes that psychological ...
    +4 moreShow less
    The Buddhist claim conflates the absence of a Cartesian ego-substance with the a...The ultimate truth about sentient beings is that there exists only a causal seri...Therefore, the causal series presupposes a non-elemental organizing identity tha...This unifying principle cannot itself be merely another impermanent element with...

    Similar

    A self that is the locus of complete control over itself cannot exist ...81%The self is the substance that collates, organises, and compares the d...81%Given the right causal arrangement of psychophysical elements, it is u...79%All elements in the causal series are impermanent and lack the propert...79%

    Source

    AI-extracted1/3 agreementValid
    SEP: buddha
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    Using this distinction between the two truths, the key insight of the ‘middle path’ may be expressed as follows. The ultimate truth about sentient beings is just that there is a causal series of impermanent, impersonal psychophysical elements. Since these are all impermanent, and lack other properties that would be required of an essence of the person, none of them is a self. But given the right arrangement of such entities in a causal series, it is useful to think of them as making up one thing
    Extraction notes

    Validity: Extracted via Max plan + API grounding/validity checks

    Details

    Type
    claim
    Perspectives
    3 (1 for, 2 against)
    Edits
    1 edit