1.What is the self, what does it mean to be a self? 2.Is there a difference between being yourself authentically versus inauthentically? If so, what is the difference? Abraham Lincoln once said that, if he had six hours to cut down a tree, he would spend the first five hours sharpening his axe. Likewise, any investigation into the self requires, first and foremost, a thorough and clear preparation due to the difficult nature of an investigation into a matter or idea that has somewhat remained clouded in vague conceptions. In order, then, to arrive at a acceptable definition of the self, I will employ three key observations that should give me ample preparation for the main part of my investigation.Since any particular object can only be perceived if it has characteristics that sets it apart from other objects, I can use this observation as a starting point for my attempt to first to perceive and then to define what can be understood as the self. Since objects that can be defined are separate entities are, due to their very nature, limited, we must accordingly postulate that the self is a limited entity as well, if we assume that it can be perceived and defined. Only once this has been done can a person go about and explore the deeper meanings and nature of the self.The next observation I would like to mention before I further delve into this matter is that every person perceives to have has some sort of self. We must assume that this holds true to every human being, as history has shown us so far that every person has some kind of focal point, which is the basis for his or her perception of self. No person known to us in western history had said the word I without having anything to refer to.The third observation, however, recognizes that each human beings notion of their self differs considerably from those of others. This does not mean, that the self is in fact different for each human being. What it does mean, however, is that it i...
