Self in Historical Context (Part Two), The
Continuing his discussion of the self in historical context, philosopher Charles Taylor talks about the progression of ideas about the self from Descartes through John Locke. It was from Locke that what Professor Taylor calls the "punctual self" tha...
Reductive Theories of the Self
Philosopher Charles Taylor discusses his ideas about what he calls "reductive theories of human beings." Professor Taylor explains that, by reductive, he means simplifying explanations and ideas that normally require "rich language" and substituting...
Recognition in the Formation of Self
Philosopher Charles Taylor talks about ways in which one's identity is worked out with other people. He discusses the paramount importance of recognition, by which he means acceptance for what you are by people that really matter. An example in chil...
Self in Historical Context (Part Three), The
Philosopher Charles Taylor continues his discussion of the self, tracing the evolution of the concept over time. Professor Taylor talks about the modern perspective of the self, which he describes as being two kinds of internal, self-examination tha...
Modern Dualism
Philosopher Charles Taylor talks about the tendency to see the mental and the physical as two completely separate and distinct categories. He notes that much of modern philosophy is concerned with blurring the rigid line between the two, in recognit...
Self in Historical Context (Part One), The
Philosopher Charles Taylor talks about the ways in which the concept of "the self" has changed over time. He begins by talking about Plato and then moves through other major philosophers, including Augustine and Descartes, pointing out that there ha...
Minority Rights, Cultural Survival and the Self
Philosopher Charles Taylor talks about the devastating impact on personal identity when reference points like language, traditions and other elements of culture are destroyed.
Self and Unconditional Value, The
Philosopher Charles Taylor discusses his notion of the self, stating that, "...if a self has an identity, then a self has to live in the horizon of some or other idea of unconditional worth."