Abstract

My thesis in this paper is that although one normally identifies with something by virtue of a certain holistic rational pattern both in one's judgments and will and in one's emotions and desires, in certain cases one's judgments and one's emotions can be largely separate sources of one's identity and hence of meaning in one's life. These cases, however, are cases of irrationality in which, roughly, the pattern in one's judgments and will has become disconnected from the pattern in one's emotions and desires, resulting in one's being fragmented and so divided against oneself. By understanding the kind of rational patterns involved, we can more deeply understand the kinds of conflicts and, conversely, accord or integrity that are possible for persons.