The Mystery of the Self

The Mystery of the Self

I’ve received an e-mail from someone discussing the art of writing autobiography, arguing that honesty and candour is not possible due to the abstract nature of the self. Here’s my response:

It is crucial to see the self from the perspective of an orthodox Catholic anthropology. I suggest that you do some background reading on the authentic Catholic understanding of the human soul and therefore, by extension, the ego or the self. I note, for instance, that you say that “the self is merely an abstract, part of a community of others”. This is not the case. The self is real but unknowable by the self (though knowable by God). It has its own intrinsic value or worth, rooted in the dignity of the human person. The paradox with which you are grappling was epitomized by G. K. Chesterton when he wrote that “One may understand the cosmos, but never the ego; the self is more distant than any star. Thou shalt love the Lord they God; but thou shalt not know thyself. We are all under the same mental calamity; we have all forgotten our names. We have all forgotten what we really are.” Dare I suggest that you might do far worse than to begin your thoughts on this topic with this quote from Chesterton?