Single Idea 5673

[catalogued under 16. Persons / B. Nature of the Self / 7. Self and Body / a. Self needs body]

Full Idea

Since sensations such as pain generally present themselves as in some part of one's body, the bodily self seems to be anything but elusive in sensory awareness.

Gist of Idea

If we have a pain, we are strongly aware of the bodily self

Source

Quassim Cassam (Introduction to 'Self-Knowledge' [1994], §I)

Book Reference

'Self-Knowledge', ed/tr. Cassam,Quassim [OUP 1994], p.8


A Reaction

This strikes me as a really good observation. Whenever we do Hume's experiment in introspection, we tend to examine either pure sense experiences or abstract ideas. If we introspect a pain, we actually find the body at the centre of activity.