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Introduction
The concept of self has been defined differently by different scholars of philosophy and psychology. One of the scholars who have attempted to define the concept is the renowned Philosopher David Hume. In his book titled “A Treatise of Human Nature”, he puts forth the argument that the self is nothing but a bundle of perceptions, which succeed each other with an inconceivable rapidity.
He goes ahead to argue that despite the fact that the self is composed of different perceptions which succeed each other, we always ascribe our identity to those perceptions (Hume 250). This assignment is about what Hume means by the statement that the self is “nothing but a bundle of perceptions, which succeed each other with an inconceivable rapidity” as well as how he explains how we ascribe our identity to the different and successive perceptions.
Hume Concept of Self: Discussion
The statement made by Hume that the self is nothing but a bundle of perceptions, which succeed each other with an inconceivable rapidity has the meaning that what we refer to as self is just a succession of perceptions. Hume argues that we keep on perceiving different things using our senses. These perceptions are distinct and actually form separate identities. But since we keep on perceiving, the collection of the perceptions which succeed each other can be used to define the “self” (Hume 253).
To put it another way, when we do not perceive, we are either asleep or dead and the self is not present. Although the perceptions are different, they are united by their qualities which give us our identity. He uses the example of a river, which retains its nature and identity despite the fact that a lot of change keeps on taking place in the river every, and it is therefore these changes which keep happening in the river which gives the river its identity (Hume 255).
He also relates the concept of the self to a Republic, which is occupied by different people at different times and governed by laws which keep on changing, but the Republic remains the same and retains its identity. This is how Hume explains how we ascribe our identity to these different and successive perceptions.
His explanation is that we ascribe our identity to those perceptions simply because we always perceive and when we do not, we cease to exist and the self is therefore lost. He also argues that the mind is like a theatre, in which various perceptions “successfully make their appearance, pass, re-pass, glide away and mingle in an infinite variety of postures and situations”, which according to him, gives us our identity (Hume 259).
David Hume was successful in demonstrating that the self is nothing but successive perceptions. This is because he was able to demonstrate that we perceive throughout our lives. The fact that we are dominated by perceptions, which alternate and replace each other depending on time and space and also the fact that the mind is like a theatre for different perceptions makes Hume’s argument not only valid and logical but also philosophical.
Conclusion
The concept of self has been defined differently by different Philosophers and Psychologists. David Hume gave his account of the self by arguing that the self is a bundle of perceptions which succeed each other to give us our identity. He argued that the different perceptions enable the self to exist and when people stop perceiving, the self is lost. Hume was successful in explaining the concept of self because he successfully demonstrated that different perceptions dominate our minds and it is this dominance which gives us our identity.
Work Cited
Hume David. A Treatise of Human Nature. Oxford university press: Oxford OX2 6DP, 1978.250-259.
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