back to ideas for this text


Single Idea 5173

[from 'Language,Truth and Logic' by A.J. Ayer, in 16. Persons / B. Nature of the Self / 7. Self and Body / a. Self needs body ]

Full Idea

For any two sense-experiences to belong to the sense-history of the same self it is necessary and sufficient that they should contain organic sense-contents which are elements of the same body.

Gist of Idea

Two experiences belong to one self if their contents belong with one body

Source

A.J. Ayer (Language,Truth and Logic [1936], Ch.7)

Book Reference

Ayer,A.J.: 'Language, Truth and Logic' [Penguin 1974], p.165


A Reaction

This makes more sense if you are a realist about organic bodies, but less sense if (like Ayer) you define the body in terms of sense-experiences. It is a stab at what is now called 'animalism', but needs an account of brain transplant thought-experiments.