Daniel Kolak - I Am You

The core argument of philosopher Daniel Kolak's book, I Am You, is that we are all the same person, or, more precisely, that a single subject (consciousness) is "incarnated" in all human beings. This idea, often called "Open Individualism" (OI), is not meant in a mystical sense, but as a logical and metaphysical possibility. According to Kolak, it's the most coherent explanation for who we are and provides the best metaphysical basis for global ethics.“But we sure seem separate”, one might say. Kolak addresses the various types of borders which we build around the concept of a person to show that we have all sorts of hidden assumptions behind these borders and they might not be as solid as they appear to be. In one sense there are borders we can draw to distinguish you from me, but in another sense, those borders are just constructs and not hard and fast boundaries that divide us into separate subjects. For instance:* Physical Borders - I seem to have a separate body from you.. yet my physical body is constantly changing over time and I don’t consider myself from last year as a separate person from myself at this moment* Spatial Borders- People seem to exist in different places… yet you are not “over there”, rather, you appear “right here” in me. The space between us is a construct of our mental map of the world. * Psychological Borders - Your mind appears separate from my mind.. yet if I have multiple personality disorder, am I to be considered as two people?I like the way this aligns with some of Douglas Hardings concepts of regional appearances in his Hierarchy of Heaven and Earth. At one level, in the 3rd person point of view, we can distinguish amongst multiple people. At other levels we can be viewed as the earth or as humanity. And from our own first person perspective, we are the alone, the no-thing full of every-thing. Having both views feels more complete than having one without the other. You are you, but also, I am you. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit headlessdeepdive.substack.com