The second chapter of Burkitt's Social Selves, touched on some really fascinating material and philosophies regarding consciousness and the pragmatist view of the self. I found it especially interesting regarding William James opinions toward consciousness: "consciousness could no longer be seen as belonging to some inner transcendental self, but had to be understood as an evolutionary product"(pg. 33). After the publication of Darwin's views on evolution, James thought that human consciousness was a social way to transcend biological evolution. He says that consciousness gives people a choice to ignore their natural instincts, and create a society where physical and instinctual strength is somewhat obsolete. He uses the example that consciousness gives humans a moral system to take care of our elders and the sick, whereas natural selection would promote the "survival of the fittest" scenario.
The ideas in chapter 2 could relate to social media, because our social network profiles are extensions of our self-consciousness. Our profiles are socially constructed extensions of self that each promote our own personal moral codes and ethical boundaries.
Hey AG,
ReplyDeleteI think you bring up some very good points in the chapter. It is very interesting to think of consciousness as an evolutionary product and that sets us apart from other animals. This has helped us develop complex societies with unique ways of interacting and communicating with each other. I also think it is neat that people have developed such keen sense of self-perception, and that self-perception is always seen as a higher-level trait when biologists or behaviorists study animals. For example, I've heard that few animal species recognize their own reflection in a mirror, and that among those "smarter" animals are dolphins, elephants, and chimpanzees. Maybe it's just the biology nerd in me speaking, but it is cool to think about how the perception of self is such a studied thing and that it's a product of "survival of the fittest". Now with the surge of social media, our social identities will continue to evolve, although probably not in the biological sense, but in how we see ourselves and communicate with others through these growing technologies.