Conceptions of the Self in Wittgenstein, Hume and Buddhism: An Analysis and Comparison

Abstract

The paper analyzes and compares the conceptions of the self to be found in wittgenstein, Hume and buddhism. It shows that wittgenstein's arguments against the cartesian model of the self find some parallels in the pudgalavadin controversy within buddhism, And that hume's rejection of the notion of the self as an abiding entity and his claim that the self is simply a bundle of distinct impressions and ideas, Bears a certain resemblance to the buddhist doctrine of "anatta". The paper is divided into three sections which are interrelated by the comparisons that have been drawn.