the most famous conceptions of the self describe it as the soul, the essence of one's beliefs, one's cognitive mind, self-knowledge (je pense, donc je suis), enlightenment. the buddhist ātman allows for an impermanence, but still, as if it were independent of the five senses, ungrounded. all would suggest it is something metaphysical (I interpret kant as presenting it as something mechanical; that doesn't change my points that follow).
speaking as me, this division of the self from the body is pure fallacy. I am my body; it is me. I am my diseases, my weaknesses, my obstacles. as I operate on a daily basis, I am acutely aware of how I interact with my surroundings, how I feel limitations, how my experiences have not only shaped me, but continually, and presently, guide me—my awareness of my personal place, and the place of others in society, my empathies, my fields of thought. when I feel, I feel.
my self cannot be independent of my body. when I die, my cognition, my beliefs, my compassions, my enlightenment, all die with me. my self cannot be transposed; it would be incompatible outside of that from which it was borne.
my mind is strong, but my body is weak. this is my whole. and I need to take a nap (piteously).
[side note: try to find a woman's ideas here. the world of philosophy is shaped by privilege, an allowance of time for thought, constructions, writings.]
