Who am I?

It seems like a simple question, but isn't philosophy's whole job just to provide complicated answers to easy ones? 🙂

When I ask myself, "Who am I?", I'm not really looking for a list of my traits... For instance, if you assume every single thing we do is just a result of our DNA and our life experiences, then things get weird. If someone had a perfect map of those factors, they could basically predict everything we'll ever do. That thought actually creeps me out a little... because it implies I don't have any real free will, just a series of cause-and-effect reactions. And if that's true, then who is "me"? Can we even say, "He's not at fault for being a criminal; his upbringing made him that way," or, "He's not to blame for being stingy; it’s just in his genes"? If there's no choice involved, who is that person, and where does the blame actually lie? 😕

Look, we can do that, sure, but let’s not pretend he isn't the one at fault here... because honestly, plenty of other people grew up under those exact same circumstances, facing the same struggles and the same broken systems, yet they didn't turn out to be criminals or greedy thugs...

hm... it's pretty obvious that people are free.

arna said:Sure, we could, but let’s not pretend he’s not the one at fault. Plenty of other people grow up in those exact same circumstances without turning into criminals or cheapskates...

It’s all down to genetics, right?

afriend said:hm...it's obvious that people are free.

So how does that freedom actually show up? I asked 'who am I' in my first post... just to make it easier to tackle the question of what kind of freedom I'm actually talking about...

Kenneth Hayes10 said:So where does that freedom actually show up? I only asked "who am I" in my first post... just to make it easier to tackle the question of what kind of freedom I'm actually dealing with.

The way I see it—our freedom lies in the ability to choose our actions, even if we can't escape the consequences that follow them. In that sense, it’s inherently limited.

Taylor Campbell4 said:We’ve got the freedom to choose our actions, sure, but we don't get to pick the fallout. In that sense, it's always got limits.

True, but without that freedom, we wouldn't even be able to wrap our heads around the consequences of being forced into something.

How do you think we’d manage without our freedom?

Generally speaking, if we don't understand the consequences beforehand, we learn them the hard way.

Regarding my previous point—I think I misspoke a bit in my last post. While we certainly have the liberty to act however we choose, we don't have the freedom to escape the repercussions of those actions.

Kenneth Hayes10 said:It’s all down to genetics. Right?

You could argue there's a genetic component involved—I mean, there are those studies floating around about some supposed "super Y chromosome" found in serial killers that supposedly hardwires them to act the way they do, like they're just stuck on a track they can't jump off of... but when we aren't talking about actual biological or neurological disorders, at the end of the day, people still have the freedom to choose their own path...

Freedom is to blame! ! ! ! !

rustymaker5 said:...supposedly there's some sort of "super Y chromosome" code found in mass shooters.

😕 😕 😕

Are you kidding me? 👎

rustymaker5 said:You have to consider genetics too—apparently there’s this "super Y gene" linked to mass shooters that basically hardwires them to act that way, leaving them with no choice. But once we move past biological or neurological disorders, free will still exists.

Generally speaking... I find myself wondering why I ever chose one path over another... when it all boils down to accumulated experience, genetic makeup, and external circumstances that are totally out of our control due to "everyone else's free will." It feels like the only thing actually driven by free will is the process of building a personality through experience... but if you trace those choices back to the very beginning, before any experience existed, you're left with nothing but DNA and pure luck.
Can someone please talk sense into me? I'm trying to figure out my actual role in all of this, because looking at the math of heredity, experience, and circumstance... it feels like I don't even exist!

mellon said:Can someone please talk some sense into me and explain what my actual role is in all of this... because when I look at the variables of heredity, life experience, and just the sheer randomness of circumstance, there doesn't seem to be any room left for me to actually matter...

Honestly, this is the perfect setup for anyone who prefers tying their entire sense of purpose to other people rather than taking charge of their own lives... it’s a clever little way to dodge making decisions or facing consequences by constantly shifting the blame onto genetics, old traditions, bad luck, or society at large... it lets you shrug your shoulders and say "it wasn't my fault" while avoiding responsibility entirely... and usually, these are the exact types of people who wander through life feeling perpetually dissatisfied without ever having the slightest clue why...
🙄

Kenneth Hayes10 said:Generally speaking... I find myself wondering why I ever chose one path over another through free will. It feels like it all just boils down to accumulated experience, genetic makeup, and specific circumstances beyond our control—things shaped by everyone else's "freedoms." In fact, it seems like the only thing truly born from free will is experience itself, because we build our identities through those experiences over time. But if you trace it back and question every "free" decision, you eventually hit that very first choice made when there was no prior experience to draw from. At that point, the only remaining influences are genetics and circumstance.
Can anyone talk sense into me? Help me understand my actual role in any of this, because when I look at the variables of heredity, experience, and environment, it feels like there's no room left for "me" in the equation.

Genetics doesn't give you a straight answer. It’s not like there’s a blueprint somewhere stating exactly how much of X or Y you possess. Genetics mostly offers preferences or a general range of where you might land. Sure, your environment can narrow that window a bit, but there’s still plenty of breathing room for an individual to take responsibility and pick one option out of what's left. I don't think we can claim total predeterminism based on biology, because again, it’s not about one fixed outcome; it’s about a whole spectrum of possibilities. For example, someone's height is heavily influenced by their DNA, but genetics can really only say they'll likely fall somewhere between 5'7" and 6'3", giving a probability for every inch in between. Your genes won't dictate that you *have* to play basketball, but they might mean you have the height, coordination, and teamwork skills to be good at a sport like that. Even then, someone could choose volleyball just to spite everyone pushing them toward the court.
To sum it up, genetics and environment don't force a single path on us. Instead, they work together to set loose boundaries of probability. From there, it's up to us to make a choice within that chaos of possibilities.

Kenneth Hayes10, I actually posted that exact same question over on religion reddit.com/r/religion

so just go see what they have to say there...

afriend said:hmm... obviously, we're free.

Maybe that whole "who am I" thing is actually what freedom is—like, maybe being human is just having the freedom to latch onto this idea or that feeling (or maybe nothing at all? 🤔) amidst this massive flood of thoughts, vibes, urges, moods... basically, just existing...

Anna... said:It’s such a perfect starting point for anyone who pins their expectations on others... It lets them dodge making actual choices or decisions, which is just a clever way to sidestep responsibility! They always end up blaming everyone else—genetics, tradition, society, circumstances... It's why they're constantly unhappy without even realizing why...

Others can't be blamed, since they're just as free and responsible as I am!...

Hannah Thomas13 said:So, to wrap this up... genetics and our environment don't just hand us a single, pre-packaged destiny. Instead, they work together to set these loose boundaries of probability for all of us... and it’s really up to us to pick a path amidst all that chaos...

So, genetics and environment are definitely factors... but there's also that one deciding factor: ME. The "I" factor. But what does that actually mean? Who am I, really?...

neonmarlin13 said:Kenneth Hayes10, I actually posted that exact same question over on religion reddit.com/r/religion...

religion reddit.com/r/religion

Just go take a look at what they're saying over there...

I haven't seen your thread before, but I should probably mention right away that we don't quite see eye to eye... It seems like your whole goal here is to prove that true freedom doesn't exist, which makes any kind of judgment—especially from God—completely pointless. But if you're willing to accept that God exists, then you really have to acknowledge the most vital part of religion: the soul. After all, it's the soul that undergoes judgment, acting through our conscience...

Now I find myself wondering... truly, am I a soul just as much as I am a body? A single unity where all my freedom is revealed...

Kenneth Hayes10 said:So, genetics and environment are big pieces of the puzzle, sure, but there’s also this deciding factor: the SELF. The "ME." What does that actually mean? Who am I?
Now I'm genuinely wondering—is my "self" a soul just as much as it's a body? Is it that single point where all my freedom finally shows up?

That "Self" you're talking about is really just your mind making choices from a bunch of different options. Honestly, trying to draw a line between the soul and the body feels like a lost cause to me. I don't even care much for the word "soul"—I'm more of a "reason" kind of person. I don't think you can split a human being into two separate parts because neither one works without the other. Without a physical body, the mind has no hardware to run on. But a body without a mind developing inside it? That's just an empty shell. They grow together as one unit throughout our lives, and that's where our decisions come into play.
Think of it like this: if we're playing a game of poker, your genetics are the hand you're dealt, and the environment represents all the other players at the table. But you? You're the one who decides how to play the hand.

Humans are unfree, consciousness is material, everything that exists is trapped in an incomprehensible determinism (God doesn't exist, nor does free will), being is just a word, and philosophy is nothing more than a critique of language.

_____________________________________________
I enjoy Life. I'll enjoy death even more.

a friend said:hm...it's obvious that a person is free.

I haven't read the previous posts yet, but this total lack of even a basic attempt at an explanation really stung 😳 👎 enough that I didn't even care about the typos.

Unfortunately, I have to agree with Atma on everything except those last two points.