Open individualism
Open individualism is the view in the philosophy of self, according to which there exists only one numerically identical subject, who is everyone at all times. It is a theoretical solution to the question of personal identity, being contrasted with empty individualism, the view that personal identities correspond to a fixed pattern that instantaneously disappears with the passage of time, and with closed individualism, the common view that personal identities are particular to subjects and yet survive over time.History
The term was coined by philosopher Daniel Kolak, though this view has been described at least since the time of the Upanishads, in the late Bronze Age; the phrase "Tat tvam asi" meaning "You are that" is an example. Notable people having expressed similar views include the Sufi thinker Aziz al-Nasafi, Muslim Andalusian philosopher Averroes, German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, American philosopher Arnold Zuboff, Indian mystic Meher Baba, stand-up comedian Bill Hicks, British writer Alan Watts, as well as renowned physicists: Erwin Schrödinger, Freeman Dyson, and Fred Hoyle., a short story by Andy Weir, is about a character who finds out that they are every person who has ever existed. The story was adapted into an animation by the YouTube channel Kurzgesagt, for its ten-year anniversary.Articles
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