Is There a Real You? Essay Example

 “Is There a Real You” deals with a very intriguing topic. This topic cannot be explained in simple terms, for it is the very essence of life. In my opinion, Julian Baggini does an exemplary job of portraying his ideals to the audience in order to make them believe that each individual person is the collection of his or her experiences and/or beliefs. Although this is effectively displayed with science to backup the majority of his claims, I do not agree with the statement he said towards the end of his speech: “There are limits to what we can achieve.” This will be further analyzed throughout this reflective paper. However, in regards to Baggini’s ideas that we are a collection of individual experiences and beliefs is truly genius. I enjoyed watching the video because of the manner in which it served as an eye-opener.

The way in which Baggini is able to prove that other philosophers have been wrong in the past when stating that the self is only an illusion is done by saying that our experiences make us who we are. An interesting point that was brought about by Baggini in regards to this was the thought of not having a mind. In other words, what would happen to the individual if his or her brain was taken away? Surely, a heart can be replaced and the individual will still be the same and act the same, but would this be the case for a brain transplant. The underlying answer that Baggini is able to effectively prove is that the individual would no longer act like himself or herself because of the fact that this individual would now have different experiences and beliefs that would make him or her up. In addition, in order to further explain his point, I enjoyed how Baginni was able to represent the individual as a watch, which is made up of parts. I agree with his statement of “we are not illusions because all of our experiences make us up” because of the way that he was able to show that, just like a watch, we are made up of individual parts that make up the whole.

The only idea that I would have to disagree with Baggini on would be when he stated that we should not think of ourselves as a specific essence because of the fact that we are ever-changing. While I completely comprehend the statement that he is trying to make here, I do not agree with his idea of humanity having limits to what it can achieve. He uses himself as an example, saying that despite the fact that if worked his hardest and practice day and night in order to be as good as the musicians that played before his speech, he would never be able to be as good as them. The best reason he gives for this lack of ability was that he simply was not born with the natural ability. In my opinion, each individual sets his and her own limits. If a person believes that he or she can achieve something, whether that thing may be impossible at that certain point in time, that specific person will invariably achieve the goal he or she is aiming for if the required amount of work is put in. Of course, this is not to say that an individual who wishes to fly will eventually fly if he or she desires it with all of his or her heart. What is meant by this is that humanity does not have any kinds of capabilities, only the ones it sets for itself. If these thoughts of limitation would be removed from oneself, it is hard to say what every single individual on earth would be able to achieve and attain in his or her lifetime.

Overall, I enjoyed Baggini’s statements on the individual. He opens up a whole new door of discussion for future generations. What I most enjoyed about his talk was the manner in which he was able to support the majority of his philosophical claims with neuroscience.

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