If the sense of being a “me” is an illusion, where does it come from? That’s a topic that Professor Jay Garfield covers in today’s article called: Second Persons and the Constitution of the First Person. In the article, Garfield cites the work of developmental psychologist Vasudevi Reddy, who emphasizes the role of dyadic (two-way) interactions in infants and the way these interactions contribute to the development of self-understanding. Apparently, even before language develops, the interactions we have with other people creates a you-me relationship and hence the sense of “me” begins to develop.

Reflecting on this point of view, I do see how other third persons are like objects moving through the world - sights and sounds to be seen. But when those third persons turn their attention towards “me”, then the feeling arises of “what are you looking at?”. If I go looking for what they are looking at, all I see is the world along with the thought that I am looking at the world. So when it comes to duality, you and I are in this together.

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