Essay Personal Identity

The problem with psychological continuity, however, is that many of the relations involved (including memory relations) appear to presuppose identity. Parfit attempts to avoid this charge of circularity by using the concept of q-memory. Q-memories do not presume that the person having the q-memory and the person who actually had the experience are the same person, unlike ordinary memories which do presuppose identity. Parfit applies this same redesription to other relations of psychological continuity such as intention and responsibility.

The purpose of this essay is to define what Personal Identity is by analyzing John Locke’s argument for Personal Identity. John Locke’s argument for Personal Identity will be examined, in order to establish a better understanding of whether or not the argument for personal identity could be embraced. In order to do so, the essay will i) State and explain Locke’s argument that we are not substances or mere souls and ii) State and explain Locke’s concept of personal identity and its relations to what he calls self, consciousness and punishment. This essay will also focus on Thomas Reid’s perspective on personal identity and iii) State and explain Reid’s criticisms of Locke’s theory of personal identity, and lastly iv) I will evaluate whether or not Reid’s objections are good. Locke’s argument may seem to be plausible at first, however, the essay will conclude by rejecting John Locke’s argument for personal identity due to Locke’s inadequate reasonings and Thomas Reid’s criticisms.

A simple example of this is: The person is the same person as someone in the past if the person has the consciousness of the experience that the someone in the past did. Thus, the identity of a person is limited to how much the conscious of later person remembers their earlier conscious memories. Only then he is truly the same person or himself. But then this bring few questions: Can there be a the same thinking substance in different people or different thinking substance in the same person and how do we punish people? To answer the first question he believes that the issue lies whether a immaterial being with consciousness could have its consciousness of its past actions be completely removed then begin a life with new consciousness. Nonetheless if it was possible then Locke argues that there is no reason to say that the person who’s soul and conscious lived before the removal is the same person whose new consciousness took over. To answer the second part, Locke says that the answer depends on whether the conscious of the past actions can be transferred to another person who did not experience it. Locke believes this phenomenon is possible and if it was, would this person be the same person he was before? Yes. Using Locke’s theory where

John Locke believes that personal identity depends on our consciousness and I agree with him because if we are not aware of ourselves then how can we know we exist. But Locke personal claims that personal identity is a matter of psychological continuity. Locke holds that consciousness can be transferred

Locke`s view of personal identity consists of self awareness and one`s conscious thoughts. He believes that a person`s consciousness is what makes a person the same person over time. Locke explains the differences between being the same man and the same person. Locke states these differences: “the identity of the same man consists in nothing but a participation of the same continued life, by constantly fleeting particles of matter, in succession vitally united to the same organized body” (§6), “since consciousness always accompanies thinking, and it is that which makes every one to be what he calls self, and thereby distinguishes himself from all other thinking things; in this alone consists personal identity,i. e. the sameness of a rational being: and as far as this consciousness can be extended backwards to any past action or thought, so far reaches the identity of that person” (§9). Being the same man and having the same body does not make a person the same over time because the body changes over time. A man is only a living human animal. Being a person means that he can think intelligently and reflect on his own thoughts. The consciousness is what makes a person a person, and not simply just a man. A person is self aware of everything; he is able to use his senses. He can think, see, hear, smell, feel, and taste. Being aware of these things that one does makes him a person.

John Locke claims that memory is the key to identity, so “as far [as] someone’s memory goes, is so far the identity of the person.” (Campbell) First, Locke explains the concept of body swapping in terms of the prince and the cobbler: the “transfer of memories between the body of the prince and the body of the cobbler would mean the people have swapped bodies.” (Campbell) In this example, the

On the surface, such a statement seems obvious. Locke’s theory is not perfect, however, and two insufficiencies have been identified by the modern philosopher Thomas Reid. Reid’s first criticism is that Locke did not specify in his theory how far back memory links can extend- because we can’t remember our early childhood, that suggests that there are at least two different individuals inhabiting the same body

According to Thomas Reid, personal identity can only be linked to the traits that have a continued existence, unlike conciseness that is short-termed and interrupted. To begin with, it is important to note that Locke argued out while he believed that consciousness or the memory of a person is a long-termed trait. Therefore, his response to the claim of Thomas Reid would be attributed to the fact that the memory of an individual cannot easily forget regardless of the number of years that the individual will exist. Also, it is vital to consider that it is against Locke’s thought when Reid says that identity is only attributed to things that have unrelenting actuality. Locke would have defended his claim by saying that a person is capable of remembering

John Locke and David Hume were renowned philosophers of the 17th and 18th centuries that deliberated the thesis of personal identity. Identity generally is defined by three distinct approaches: identity of mass of matter, living being, and personal identity. The two academicians’ agree on certain characteristics, but are dramatically differing on others. As one evolves over time, are they identified as the same person? Hume and Locke have written essays on their specific hypotheses about identity. The authors provide the reader with various examples of their theories, including: are you the same person you were a year ago if you remember, or do not remember, being that person? Are you the same person if you lose a limb or body part, or even alter one insignificant element of your appearance? John Locke asserts that identity derives from consciousness. He contends that there cannot be two of the same object or people in the same place at the same time. David Hume’s theory presumes that if one minute particle is distorted, that it does not retain the same identity. In this essay I will consider two positions regarding identity; Hume’s theory and Locke’s theory. After analyzing the arguments for and against each, I will argue in favor of Locke’s theory.

Locke argues that the identity of people does not equal the identity of man, that with the soul alone, it is not possible to form the same person. To take further step of this argument, Locke provides the example of the the Prince and the Cobbler. Adding the Prince's soul into the Cobbler’s body, and therefore the Cobbler’s body is now having the the Prince's soul, and further more that the Cobbler’s body is now having the Prince’s personal identity. However, people will not regard the Cobbler as the Prince, for that people are inseparable from the body. Therefore, in such circumstances, Locke believes that people should conclude from this example that the body should be the one to determine whether one is the same person (Locke, 517-518).

Locke is known to believe in his theory of personal identity and diversity. Locke’s theory talks about consciousness and how our consciousness makes our identity through our experiences. Locke states that we are only considered guilty of committing a crime if we were aware of it and remember doing it. Although I agree with Locke in some terms regarding our identity having something to do with our consciousness, I do not fully agree. I believe that personal identity is what we see ourselves as whether that be physical features, morals, or anything that crosses those lines.

Locke’s main assertion was that personal identity could best be described by the sameness in awareness or consciousness, and not the sameness in physicality or in substance. In Locke’s view, consciousness was used as a synonym of memory although he did not specify the perspective i.e whether in first person experience or in the second person etc. Therefore, many scholars regard Locke as the originator of the view that a person’s identity on the time continuum consists of memories and the capacity to remember them. In summary, Locke’s view is that a person existing today is the same person as that who existed many years ago, if he or she can remember, or has the capacity to remember, the life experiences of the person that existed in an earlier time (Perry, 114). Some scholars insist that there is a difference in perspective because knowledge and experience are

The purpose of this paper is to both examine and critically evaluate John Locke’s account of personal identity by (1) summarizing the basic tenants of his theory, (2) understanding the arguments opposed to his theory, and (3) highlighting the overall influence that his ideas have had on the larger philosophic community. Locke’s theories regarding the nature of personal identity were first discussed in his text titled “An Essay Concerning Human Understanding”. Within his work he discussed an array of philosophically troubling issues such as the relation that the body and mind share, the nature of consciousness, and the effect of time on human life. These and countless other topics that Locke covered have been extremely influential in modern

John Lock was an English empiricist philosopher. His beliefs on human knowledge, personal identity, and consciousness were all based on the senses experience and reflection, like Aristotle. Certainty was not a problem for Locke like it was for Gene Descartes. He explained this theory very well in "Essay Concerning Human Understanding." Locke spoke of the mind. He believed memories were the key to ones' self. He considered that the person was a forensic term. If a person was accused of a crime and they were not aware or could not remember doing said offense, Locke believed they shouldn't be held responsible. He thought if a person loses their memory, they become a different person. He also believed that once the mind left the body, it just went into someone else. Even sleeping can make us lose sight on our past selves since we are not conscious. Once a person's memory is lost, Locke tells us the self has moved to a new body and your self is a new one You are a new person. Locke theorized every time we fell asleep, we were not the same "thinking thing" but It does not affect the personal identity of us.

Locke argued that personal identity had to do with physical or mental consciousness. He described our “self” as the existence of our thoughts and actions. These thoughts and actions are kept throughout a person’s life. “ Consciousness always accompanies thinking, and makes everyone to be what he