Ideas Of Personal Identity, Human Nature, And Reality

In his 1971 paper “Personal Identity”, Derek Parfit posits that it is possible and indeed desirable to free important questions from presuppositions about personal identity without losing all that matters. In working out how to do so, Parfit comes to the conclusion that “the question about identity has no importance” (Parfit, 1971, p. 4.2:3). In this essay, I will attempt to show that Parfit’s thesis is a valid one, with positive implications for human behaviour. The first section of the essay will examine the thesis in further detail and the second will assess how Parfit’s claims fare in the face of criticism.

No matter how much a person desires to live according to their personal autonomy, he or she will never escape the influence of societal forces. Explicitly or subtlety, these forces shape our individuality. One intriguing manner that these societal forces manifests itself in is our name. As Ruth Graham writes, “It’s becoming increasingly clear today that names carry a wealth of information about the world around us, the family we arrived in, the moment we were born—and that they mark us as part of cultural currents bigger than we realize.” Names alone provide evidence that individuals are made by interactions with social institutions and groups. Ultimately, the inescapable nature of society’s influence demands individuals to ponder how much personal autonomy is actually autonomous and to what extent does the pursuit of personal autonomy lead to a life of emptiness and vanity.

To the ignorant and self-oblivious person, the true individuality of a man’s self is presumed through his ability to possess an apt and socially preferable state of mind. Quite ironic in fact—and if I’m not mistaken—the widespread consensus regarding human identity, is that it is at its most ripe, and fertile upon one’s inevitable decision to conform to the mass. Such logic is somewhat of a paradox-in-itself and if we deconstruct the meaning of the terms ‘conform’ and ‘individuality’ their contrast is vast, and their apparent use is irrational, therefore all aspects of the human mind remain complacent, and mundane to a certain degree that it erases any former beliefs of a unique human being. Rather, human personality is an

In the novel Ordinary People, the main character is going through many hardships of self discovery. Throughout life, everyone has struggles of trying to find out who she or he is, and in the novel Ordinary People, it takes time and hard work for the character to find themselves. As the characters struggle through their hardships, Calvin, Beth, and Conrad finally discover their true identities.

Derek Parfit's views on personal identity and the Ego and Bundle Theory are all summarized in his article “Divided Minds and the Nature of Persons”. In his article, Parfit explains the distinction between Ego theory and Bundle theory and provides several arguments against Ego Theory. Although it proves to be very difficult to believe the Bundle Theory, Parfit’s critique is convincing and well thought out.

Personal identity is essential in the human experience. Identity is complex and can be broken down into two main groups: introspective identity, and bodily identity. Introspective identity is based off of the groups, mentalities, or beliefs that you align yourself with, and bodily identity is based off of the physical side of yourself. Whether physical or introspective, your identity impacts every action you take. Whether choices ranging from what colors you prefer to which college you want to attend are primarily based off of your introspective identity, which is a combination of both memory and consciousness, physical identity impacts how others perceive you. Consciousness is mainly the awareness of bodily identity as well as continuous introspective identify, while memory is awareness of introspective identity. These two different facets of identity are imperative in the distinction between bodily identity and introspective identity. In means of personal identity introspective identity (which is evident in memory), is essential, while bodily identity (based partially in consciousness) has less credit.

This quote relates to everyone in some way because we all at one point are put into a situation where we saw or heard something as people we tend to turn a blind eye towards something because it can change our own values or beliefs or our view on anyone. This has to do with our identity for us and others, as we tend to turn a blind eye to not see the flaws in our identities or someone's else, or generally the world view. As people we build identities for others, the way we perceive them and when that someones does something that isn't this identity you built for them, we just turn away or accept it which can determine the impact is has towards us or the relationship. This relates to how people choose to hide the bad side seen in someone or

Everyone could know all the facts about an individual’s existence yet not be able to say whether the person has survived. In his conclusion of his essay “Personal Identity”, Parfit states that the human race is wrong when assuming that personal identity is what matters in survival. Instead, he offers that psychological relatedness and continuity are what really matters. According to him, people are nothing more than brain and bodies. However, identity should not and cannot be reduced to either.

Everyone is a unique individual. We all have different experiences and influences and skills or talents that have an impact on the development of our identities. Furthermore, individualism is hard-coded into our DNA. Each of us is composed of DNA building blocks created in a specific order to form our individual genomes which makes us who we are. The amount of combinations to this is effectively limitless and, in addition to this, our experiences can effect the expression of traits coded by DNA. My talent, which is a major part of my identity, is that I can easily make annoying people stop bothering and scare others from doing what they are not supposed to. This is mostly due to the fact that my apparent default expression, even when I am happy, is either upset or angry. This has a plethora benefits, granted that it is has a just as bountiful

Amongst other features of his Essay Concerning Human Understanding, John Locke advances a theory of personal identity involving proper consciousness and memory conditions for one’s continued existence. This psychological approach is rooted within a broader discussion of identity related to particulars; these include finite intelligences, bodies, and God (Helm, 311). Locke’s account was subject to much scrutiny and criticism upon its publication, but I should like to focus on just one of these; namely, an objection raised by Thomas Reid citing what has come to be called a fission problem. Such issues for psychological accounts of personal identity involve the theoretical possibility of one being psychologically continuous with multiple past or future persons, a seemingly paradoxical claim. This is a rather damaging point, but one which is undermined by the more modern account of personal identity advanced by Derek Parfit. Though Parfit by no means subscribes to the Lockean picture (he in fact explicitly denounces it in his Persons, Bodies, and Human Beings), he does support psychological continuity conditions which aid Locke’s account insofar as they undermine this particular objection of Reid’s.

In a society where one is expected to conform to the masses, maintaining individuality can be a difficult task. It is also, however, a task vital to the identity of an individual. In the world, there are those people who merely follow the herd, and then there are those individuals who strive to lead and be their own people. The first group of people becomes lost in the shuffle of life; they attempt to blend in, and they are successful, making them all but invisible. The second group, however, commands the respect of society and ultimately has a better grasp of their identity. While individuality is respected, spending your life trying to be like other people will ultimately make you lose sight of who you are.

Self-identity is singular. The belief in this existence of one’s self, presupposes all our experiences of consciousness. We all hold that this identity is ours alone. I speak of my experiences as experienced by me. I would seem to be talking nonsense , if I referred to myself in the plural or spoke of how the multiplicity of ‘me’s’ experienced an event. Although most will submit to the existence of levels of consciousness, we categorize those people who exhibit distinct personalities as non-ordinary. All popular theories of self-identity set about the task of proving a singular self. I will attempt to analyze the currently held theories of self-identity, and consider cases where the singular self-identity of normal individuals is called

The question on personal identity has been a philosophical debate for a long time. Philosophers over time have tried to argue what being a person that one is, from one day to the necessarily contains. In their endless search for philosophical bases on the same, multiple questions on the issues of life and death arise such that the correct answers to personal identity determine the changes that one person undergoes, or may undergo without being extinct but rather continuing to exist. Personal identity philosophical theory confronts the most ultimate questions on our existence as well as who we are and if by any chance there is a possibility of life after death. In attempts to distinguish change in a person in survival and after death, a criterion of personal identity over time is given. Such criterion specifies all the necessary and sufficient conditions that must prevail for a person to continue to exist (Perry et al,103)

The self and self-identity is a continually changing entity, which is constantly being reconstructed throughout a person’s life. (Slevin, 2000)

Identity is something that everyone has and wants to be able to express. It shows your cultures, your beliefs, your religion, and even your hobbies. In history, slaves have risked their lives escaping from the people who shut down their self-perception, just to get their identity back. Currently, there are marches happening all over the world that are protesting for people to be able to express who they are; like the LGBTQ Marches and the Women’s Marches. Identity has been riskily fought for in the past, and in the present. Therefore, it is incredibly important to fight for.