Substantialisation and the plurality of the self

Abstract

English: This paper focuses on two broad categories of amenders of the classical self, namely Kenneth Gergen’s abolition of the self and Charles Taylor’s transformation of the self. After the heyday of behaviourism it became fashionable again to speak of “intentions” as a cause of human action. Recent manifestations of this sometimes emphasise a holistic view and more often posit a coreless pluralism as the self. In the case of Gergen, this attempt lapses into a monistic substantialisation of the relational side of the self; in the case of Taylor, into a moderate dualism with the interpretative capacity of the self taking the substantialised position. As an alternative I propose a dimensional anthropology that sees the self as consisting of a coherent plurality of dimensions of equal agency.

Afrikaans: Hierdie artikel fokus op twee breë kategorieë van amendeerders van die klassieke self naamlik Kenneth Gergen (afskaffing van die self) en Charles Taylor (transformasie van die self). Na die val van behaviourisme in die menswetenskappe het dit weer mode geword om “bedoelings” as oorsaak van menslike gedrag te sien. Onlangse manifesterings hiervan beklemtoon soms ’n holistiese mensbeeld en, meer gereeld, ’n kernlose pluralisme wat die self genoem word. Hierdie poging verval egter in die geval van Gergen in ’n monistiese versubstansialisering van die relasionele kant van die self, of, in die geval van Taylor, in ’n gematigde dualisme met die interpretatiewe vermoë van die self in die versubstansialiseerde posisie. As alternatief stel ek ’n dimensionele antropologie voor wat die self sien as ’n samehangende pluraliteit van gelyke agentsdimensies.