ABSTRACT
It is only when one tries to reflect seriously on the notion of the self that one begins to get the sense that it refuses to be pinned down. We believe that we know ourselves, yet there are shadowy areas that evoke doubts in our minds. “Self” is one of those concepts of which one starts confidently: “Yes, of course I know what it is. It’s . . . er, well—” Immediately we start to try to locate, to categorize, even to describe, we find that we begin to stumble after one or two attributes of which we do feel sure. Yet, most of these can be speedily shown to be open to question, if not to complete refutation.
