Severance & Jonathan: The Philosophical Paradox of Self

What makes you… you? Is your identity defined by your memories, your consciousness, or something deeper—like a soul?

Both Severance and Jonathan explore the unsettling concept of splitting a person’s identity, whether through surgically induced work-life separation (Severance) or two consciousnesses sharing the same body on alternating schedules (Jonathan). But if a person can be divided—if two separate minds exist within one body—what does that mean for the idea of the self?

In this video, I explore the philosophical implications of these stories. Are Mark’s innie and outie two different souls, or just one person separated by artificial barriers? When Jonathan’s brother “dies,” does he truly cease to exist, or is he simply erased from perception? And when reintegration or identity collapse occurs, what happens to the consciousness—or soul—that once existed independently?

Time stamps:
00:00 - Intro
01:41 - The Ethics of Division
03:45 - What is a Soul?
05:35 - The Burden of Reconciliation: Reintegration vs. Elimination
07:21 - The Role of Memory and Identity
08:34 - Outro