MEETING YOUR MINIMAL SELF?

A Harry Potter-based Exploration of an Encounter Between Two Selves

Abstract

This paper explores the philosophical problem of self through the lens of the literary example of Harry Potter. The paper first builds a theoretical framework consisting of contemporary conceptions of self as the minimal and narrative self. This framework is then used to analyse the time-travel scene in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, in which two versions of Harry Potter encounter each other. The paper finds that it is not possible for Harry to conceptualise his future self as himself when he encounters himself because for an experience of self, a first-person experience is necessary. This paper provides an illustration of? a thought-experiment of an individual encountering themselves, which is physically impossible and has not been discussed academically. It is thus relevant in exploring a philosophical and physical problem at hand of a popular story, making this thought-experiment easier to grasp.