Abstract

This dissertation is aimed at developing a new relational theory of the self. The methodology that I use is comparative in nature. Relational theories of the self from three different thinkers are presented, critically analyzed, compared, and contrasted. The end goal is to determine which aspects of each theory are both required and best describe the phenomenon of selfhood. ;The three philosophers are American pragmatist George Herbert Mead, French existentialist Jean-Paul Sartre, and Japanese Soto Zen Buddhist Dogen. The idea behind choosing these three thinkers is that they both compliment each other as relational theorists, and contrast each other because their methodologies and approaches differ. The comparative approach allows for adopting three different perspectives without being tied to any one of them. I believe this freedom results in a more objective analysis of the question at hand that is how to best define and explain the self. ;The end product is what I have termed the "Plexus of Relations." It is a theory of the self that is born from combining the best elements of these three thinkers' theories. In the final chapter I take this new theory and compare it to some contemporary feminist theories of the self. I argue that the Plexus of Relations is well suited to handle many of the difficulties with which these thinkers are struggling. In this manner I seek to show that it is not merely a tenable theory, but a useful, contemporary one as well