Purveyor. Not of goods, but of good ideas

Monday, March 06, 2006

Is That Me Over There?

Sometimes, while lying on the couch for example, I will look down at my foot and realize, That's me over there. And then I wonder, How can I be here and there at the same time?

Where do "I" reside? Am "I" in my foot? Probably not. It's almost as distinct from "me" as any object across the room, except that I can control it, and it can communicate with me through sensation or pain.

It's funny to consider a body part as something like a puppet.

But if I loose control or sensation in my foot, is it even less a part of "me" than before? I might still be able to walk on it, but is it any different then from a peg leg, for instance? Is my foot more a part of me merely because I feel it? Or is it me just because it goes with me everywhere?

If it's a matter of feeling, what happens when it goes numb?

If it's a matter of attachment, is my foot any different from, say, a briefcase, or a teddy bear?

This is making my head hurt. (Is it really my head?)

Stayed tuned! Next up: Why can't tickle myself?

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