October 1, 2019
On the first page of Strawson’s essay, he mentions how Oliver Sacks wrote “this narrative is us”. I feel like it’s important to mention that Strawson quoted this becuase he has the opposite view. Interestingly enough, Strawson continuously refers to authors, painters, and psychologists who agree that we do have a life story and that many of us try to live by that story. However, Strawson fully believes and argues that only some of us have a life story and even then, it’s only bits and pieces of memories that we choose to share with ourselves and others to make future us be the person we wish to be.
In some ways, I do agree with Strawson, at least on the fact that we choose what to share with other’s to crate the best self, but I don’t agree with his view on how no one has a life story or narrates their life on a daily basis. Maybe I’m one of the select few he mentioned that lives a narrative life style, but I don’t think I have the capacity for that.
Moving onto the “singular self” or the “many selves”, I believe that we have many selves that create who we are. If you think about it, the person you are with your parents is different than with your sister. And the person you are with your best friends is way different than who you are with your lab partner.
Excellent! I enjoyed reading your thoughts. I, too, both agree and disagree with Strawson. He makes some interesting claims/points.