Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Injured bird - Sense of Self

Video of Injured bird.I am confused, because I have read that only humans have a sense of self. Our "self" is a "Memeplex" - a complicated set of ideas that give us consciousness. However, Noah told me that Dolphins recognize themselves in a mirror, so they have a sense of self, a knowledge of their personal existence. And last night, I found an injured bird by my front door. His bird friends were circling above, chirping, as though they were keeping him company. The bird looked bad, couldn't fly, perhaps flew into something, and was breathing heavily and shaking. I moved him under a bush and he came to. This morning I was surprised to find him still alive, and his friends had returned once again circling and chirping at him. So I wonder, if his friends know that he is hurt, if they circle to keep him company, don't they have a sense of their own "self?" I mean, Sartre would say they recognize the being for others in their self - that they have to be aware of their "self" in order to be aware that they are a being for others. So if other living creatures have a sense of "self," don't they therefore have what we call a soul? Maybe Shamanists are correct, that each living creature has a unique spirit.

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