Philosophy of Self

Comments debate the nature of personal identity, questioning whether individuals possess a single true self, multiple facets or personas, or no fixed self at all, often in social and philosophical contexts.

📉 Falling 0.4x Politics & Society
2,952
Comments
20
Years Active
5
Top Authors
#140
Topic ID

Activity Over Time

2007
4
2008
16
2009
44
2010
76
2011
74
2012
81
2013
102
2014
78
2015
109
2016
137
2017
161
2018
215
2019
224
2020
194
2021
265
2022
332
2023
308
2024
258
2025
256
2026
20

Keywords

a.k NOT wikipedia.org UX self identity person identities thoughts thinking somebody term definition flesh

Sample Comments

blueprint Feb 22, 2023 View on HN

there is such a thing as a true self and false selves. can you tell them apart?

maxerickson Nov 9, 2017 View on HN

Those are arguably facets of a single identity.For instance, you did not refer to yourself as "we".

pessimizer Dec 3, 2022 View on HN

I guess that if you self-identify as a thing, you are that thing.

N_Lens Aug 29, 2025 View on HN

Different people have different conceptions of “self”, sometimes vastly different.

handfuloflight Aug 24, 2025 View on HN

Why should it have discrete identity and notion of self?

tylerjwilk00 Mar 13, 2020 View on HN

So basically we're all the same person we just think we're different people.

colordrops Sep 23, 2017 View on HN

"one of my selves" - the flaw in your logic is revealed by this phrase.

timdiggerm Dec 18, 2012 View on HN

No, you're you. You're just presenting different facets (whether conscious or not) of you.

d-lisp Dec 3, 2024 View on HN

Another instance of me is a different instance of me than I am, thus it isn't me.

nkrisc Aug 1, 2022 View on HN

Obviously I don't know how other people feel, but even when I have to project different "identities" in different social situations, I'm still the same person within and just tailoring the output to be appropriate to the settings. I act differently when I'm playing with my son, when I'm at work, when I'm with my wife, etc... But I'm always the same person in all those situations with the same thoughts, the same desires, and can be thinking about those othe