What people mean when they say 'me' has puzzled me lately. When used possessively, people say "my body", "my mind", "my soul", but what is "me" if it isn't your body, mind or soul? What are they referring to that owns these things? Where is the line between what is 'You' and what is 'Yours'?

I think this enters some sort of paradoxical loop. The main reason for saying "my mind" etc. etc. is to have a counter to "your mind" etc. etc. Otherwise, how would we communicate the difference?

As a humorous aside, I was looking at the definition of me and saw something that caught my attention.

Look up "Daniel Dennett". He is a philosopher who wrote a neat little short story (forgot the name) that is basically on this topic.

The ego, the self. The concept that makes you separate from your environment.

Me reffers to the person saying it. It really couln't get much simpilar than that.

When I say 'me' I am reffering to my mind, body and soul.

My mind body and soul make 'me'

Quote from Bonk

Look up "Daniel Dennett". He is a philosopher who wrote a neat little short story (forgot the name) that is basically on this topic.

I have one of his books. It's called "Breaking the Spell". It's quite good, IMHO.

Anyway, I don't know that there is a distinction between the mind, the body, and the soul. I have seen nothing to suggest that the soul exists, and the mind is the byproduct of the operation of the brain, and that is a part of the body.

When they say "My body", they are referring to the body as outside their mind because part of the mind's operation is the apparent separation from the body. The mind is the operating system, the brain the computer.

The completeness of everything that's "yours" is "you". That's how I'd define it.

When I talk about 'me' I'm refering to whatever the central bit of the brain is that brings all of the sensory input together. When I refer to things that are mine I am talking about the things that I then control with that input data. I might say "That's me!" when I look at a photograph but what I really mean is "That's my body, and I'm probably in there somewhere!".

Quote from Ash

I have one of his books. It's called "Breaking the Spell". It's quite good, IMHO.

Anyway, I don't know that there is a distinction between the mind, the body, and the soul. I have seen nothing to suggest that the soul exists, and the mind is the byproduct of the operation of the brain, and that is a part of the body.

When they say "My body", they are referring to the body as outside their mind because part of the mind's operation is the apparent separation from the body. The mind is the operating system, the brain the computer.

yeah i follow that, but I'll just kind of give an example to what I mean from your post:

When they say "My body", they are referring to the body as outside their mind because part of the mind's operation is the apparent separation from the body

Now you say their body is outside of their mind. But you referred to the mind as 'theirs'. Now I don't know if it's just a grammatical thing or what but who is the subject of the sentence if it is neither the body nor the mind?

Quote from Dinomut

Now you say their body is outside of their mind. But you referred to the mind as 'theirs'. Now I don't know if it's just a grammatical thing or what but who is the subject of the sentence if it is neither the body nor the mind?

Now we are entering the concept of 'they' which is a differant matter entirely.

Think of me for instance. Your concept of 'Zed' is nothing more than words that appear on a page with a consistant picture to the left and below it. When you think 'Zed' you think little further than one of my posts at best, and probably no further than my avatar.

If we were to think of someone else, say Miniman, you might well think of one of the pictures he has posted. Your concept of Miniman is the person who types his comments, and you are able to associate personality traits with him. 'He' is, to us, no more than a collection of images and traits. Individually they are just Miniman's images and Miniman's traits, but together they combine to form the entire Miniman as you know him.

Remove it once further to someone you have physically met, eg. your mother. This time there are more characteristics to throw into the mix - smells, the sound of her voice, etc. which, again, individually belong to her, but collectively make her up.

You are your consciousness, they are just what your consciousness makes them.

Quote from Dinomut

yeah i follow that, but I'll just kind of give an example to what I mean from your post:



Now you say their body is outside of their mind. But you referred to the mind as 'theirs'. Now I don't know if it's just a grammatical thing or what but who is the subject of the sentence if it is neither the body nor the mind?

It's grammatical. There's no way to refer to their mind without using "their". In that sense, the body belongs to the mind and the mind belongs to the body. So it's the mind of the body, both of which come together to form them.

Hey ash which episode is that out of in your sig? I can't remember ever seeing it...

Season 2, Episode 1.

Thanks .