Body Theory of Personal Identity

 

Before I go on about Body theory, something just struck me. I came across the concept of split personality, thanks to a Bollywood movie. I found it unnerving especially the portrayal. It was Ajay Devgn movie where he uses split personality as a disguise.  

Again later I came  across this concept in a couple of movies and serials with a better understanding. So what we have here is

Body Theory- Physical Identity derivatives, which essentially means, personal identity requires the survival of the same living body.

My favourite series has always been the detective series. Though supernatural and X Files, certainly would have defied the body theory, while explaining soul theory or memory or even illusion or coming up with something new altogether; Bones, Criminal Minds, Mindhunter, all captured my attention for the simple reason that they could connect the physicality of an event with a suspect.

Even in my fiction reading which is few and far in between nowadays, my focus has always been on medical fiction, even though I do not have a medical background.

The way I see it is, that what you see you explain or at least manage to explain. Soul, Memory, Illusion is so far away from us that other than philosophically put, we do not try to go near them.

I am scared of the unknown, maybe others are too. While I am writing this I also realize something about me. The reason I do not want to know is also that what I cannot see, I cannot control. What I cannot control, makes me helpless.

That is why body theory seems to be the most acceptable theory even when our philosophy and mythology talks about something different than that.  I found this interesting what I can control and what I can’t control, charts from pandemic times.  It explains body theory in a way to say,  I can control on my five senses, (body theory).

However, I am also taking an extension from it here. Does it also not built upon controlling the person I was or will be one week from now, given the factor that I do not contract the disease.

The philosophy of life is very interesting. It makes us look deep into ourselves and wants us questions ourselves on the perspectives we have been looking at ourselves for so long.

There is a connectedness in everything one does. As I read these theories, I also start understanding why do we think the way we do. Or contrariwise I start to see the origins of these theories. Some of it at least.

Tomorrow, I end the series with Illusion Theory. Let me know how you feel about the series,