A Look at the Self from the Past to the Future: Genuineness, Time and Freedom

Abstract: Understanding concerning the self has been one of the most important subjects in philosophy since Descartes. When we try to catch a glimpse from the past to the future, it strikes to the eye that in the past, the perception of the self was general, common and determinist. When we shift our focus towards modern era and the present-day, the self is understood in terms of individuality, internality and authenticity by stripping off its social and general character and breaking free from the outer deterministic chains. As a result, the self, then, starts referring to the free acting agent who is different and original. Yet, it is suspicious that this view of self will remain unchanged in the future. For the scientific and technological developments so much change people’s overall world and the way they perceive that the perception of the self appears not to remain longer without undergoing a radical change. It appears that as a result of the phenomena–possible to happen in the future–such as artificial intelligence, metaverse and hive mind, our view of the self will undergo substantial alteration. This paper aims to present an overview concerning how our conception of the self was in the past, what kind of change it has been undergoing in the present-day and to what it will evolve in the future