Phantom Limbs

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how V.S. Ramachandran, as is the norm for philosophers, asks the question about our relationship to the world by using the question of phantom limbs and phantom pain. It looks at how Ramachandran uses the example of phantom limbs to try to come to terms with one of the most important and enduring of all philosophical questions: How do we know what it is that we know? It analyzes how he equates the issue of the nature of phantom limbs with the exact nature of human knowledge.

From the Paper:

"Related to this question of the nature of knowledge is of course the question of what is the nature of the self. The question of self is one often expressed in philosophy as the question of "being" (as opposed to, or in addition to) "knowing" and has been of primary concern for many if not most philosophers, who have argued that whatever certainties may be possible in our world must come from an understanding of our authentic self, the core of our individuality. Ramachandran argues that the nature of knowledge (how do we know what we know?) and the nature of self (how do we know who we are) are in fact the same question and come together in the arena of phantom limbs."

More papers on Phantom Limbs:

• Research Paper # 63598 : "Phantom Limb Syndrome"
• Analytical Essay # 67261 : "Phantom of the Opera"
• Analytical Essay # 9259 : "The "Phantom of the Opera"

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