On Self By Galen Strawson

The exploration of the nature of self is as long as the history of human civilization. Each person has an 'I', the world is always seen, revealed and understood though the perspective of the 'I'.'I' is not only the agent 'I', but also the coactee'me'. Besides,'I' is an owner as'mine'. Without these concepts (I-me-mine), it is impossible for the language to operate. It is so essential of the 'I' that the concept of 'I' or the self is a basic problem domain in the studies of minds which especially in the domain of consciousness with the growing of science of mind nowadays. Currently, no matter in the field of philosophy (philosophy of mind) or in the field of science (cognitive science), there are some competitive views or theories on the self. This paper is concerned with Galen Strawson's SESMETs theory which is an influential view on the self at present.This paper aims to shed light on the trend of the self study in the context of the research of mind though the review of SESMETs theory. In the first chapter, I would review Descartes, Hume, Kant, Husserl and Searle's thoughts on the self. Then I would focus on the illumination of the SESMETs theory based on historical studies and the current study of the self theory. Strawson starts from the phenomenology to analyze the phenomenal self, and then turns to metaphysics to demonstrate the ontology of the self. Strawson holds that the self is the subject of experience, which is a single mental thing SESMET. Each SESMET occurs and exists ephemerally in each time of experience. No consciousness, no SESMET. A set of the short-lived SESMETs consists of the diachronic self.