THE EXTENDED SELF AND THE I

Abstract

Some authors claim that with the extended mind, the self also extends. However, they focus less on the self and more on the arguments for or against it. In this paper, my goal is to analyze the extendedness of the self in relation to the classical division: the physical self (body), the psychical self (mind), the social self (persona), and the phenomenal self. In the second part, after distinguishing between the self as the object (the empirical Me) and the self as the subject (the pure I), I will explore whether the self can be extended regarding the subject side. Despite changes in the empirical self, the I remains unaltered as the source of subjectivity, identity, and mineness. The extendedness of the self with regard to the structure of self-consciousness leads to the contortions of the self and the problem of group minds.