The self is the unity of what we necessarily are and what we choose to be

1. The Self as Chosen: Søren Kierkegaard (1813-55) • The self is the unity of what we necessarily are and what we choose to be • The nobility of the human condition consists in despair/anxiety: (1) having to acknowledge that we are put into a situation (by God) where we have to make real, un-guaranteed choices; and (2) having to make the choices whereby we become selves

2. The Self as Worker:Karl Marx (1818-85) • Human beings are naturally inclined to work and be sociable. What distinguishes us as human is our freely chosen, creative labor • Capitalism alienates us from the products of our labor and thus alienates us from ourselves and one another • By controlling property, the ruling class controls thought. Only communal ownership of property can counteract social alienation

3. The Self as Will to Power: Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) • Nobility consists in the exercise of will. The pessimistic all-too-human reliance on God, religion, and morality is a crutch for the weak • The true self (the overman) transcends the “last man,” the person who takes no risks and seeks equality, complacence, and happiness