Self Identity Research Paper

What is personal identity? This question has been asked and debated by philosophers for centuries. The problem of personal identity is determining what conditions and qualities are necessary and sufficient for a person to exist as the same being at one time as another. Some think personal identity is physical, taking a materialistic perspective believing that bodily continuity or physicality is what makes a person a person with the view that even mental things are caused by some kind of physical occurrence. Others take a more idealist approach with the belief that mental continuity is the sole factor in establishing personal identity holding that physical things are just reflections of the mind.

Identity is anything that can provide us with a way of answering what we are. I believe that there is a core basis of

Substance dualism, or Cartesian dualism, is a theory of the mind which separates the mind from the body by having two substances: material, of the body; and immaterial, of the mind. The body cannot think, but is able to perceive and interact with the material world directly. On the other hand, the mind is immaterial and is, instead, only connected to the physical world through the body. The mind exists in an independent and secluded state. While the body cannot think, therefore function, without the mind, the mind only needs the body to explore the material world.

Unfortunately, the search for such a new identity all too often proves to be a painful and fruitless odyssey. Yet like the water that's always attracted by gravity, the human soul is constantly and relentlessly evolving—along with the world around it. Thus in the end, we often are left only with ourselves rather than labels and concepts.

In philosophy, substance dualism is the idea that the mind and body are two distinct things. A substance dualist believes that the behavior and characteristics of the mind could never be fully explained by the empirical scientific laws that dictate the physical world, and because of this, the mind and the body should be seen as distinct entities. This differs immensely from the ideas physicalist have. Physicalist believe that all of the characteristics of the mind can be explained by observing the behavior of the brain, and if physicalist fail to explain a characteristic of the mind with the knowledge of biology, chemistry, physics and anatomy they currently have, they simply excuse these failures as things that will eventually be explained by future scientific discoveries.

Substance dualism is the idea that the mind is its own entity, and that it is not confined to the physical world. Paul Churchland explained the idea as “a distinct nonphysical thing” and “a thing whose identity may be temporarily “attached”” (Churchland 84). One point made for this view poses the idea that because the soul cannot be seen, and therefore cannot be broken down in more parts, it must exist separately from the body (Swineburne 1). This was a view held by the well-known philosopher Plato

“The mind-body dualism, in philosophy, is the fact that any theory that the mind and body are distinct kinds of substances or natures. This position implies that mind and body not only differ in meaning, but refer to different kinds of entities (Britannica).” The most basic form of dualism is substance dualism. Substance dualism is the idea that he mind and body are composed of two ontologically distinct substances. According to one who believes and studies dualism, the mind is comprised of a non-physical substance, while the body is constituted of the physical substance, also known as matter. Dualism is closely related to the philosophy of Rene Descartes. Descartes identified the mind with consciousness and self-awareness and distinguished this from the brain. He believed that the brain was the seat of all intelligence. This lead to a great debate over the mind and body. So, ultimately, what is the nature of the mind and consciousness and its relationship to the body?

The mind-body problem, which still is debating on what it can be, still goes on today about the difference or similarities between the mind and the body. Rene Descartes had a belief that the mind and body are two different substances that can exist separately on their own, and that one can live without the other. But there is no right or wrong answer for either. Physicalism and dualism, I believe both of these give a good case about the mind-body but there really isn’t a real good answer, but between the two I find dualism to be more plausible with the mind-body problem. Dualism states that the mind and the body are two completely different things, independent from one another. (Nerruan Webster) In Wikipedia, physicalism states that the body and mind is the same thing. I find it a little hard to believe that the mind, which is a nonphysical substance, can be the same as a physical body. Therefore, I will explain some theories and examples that back up dualism.

I am going to argue for the soul theory of personal identity. I would agree with Socrates’s thought “that each human being is composed of a physical body and a non-physical soul” (Rachel’s and Rachel’s, 2009. P. 38). A person at one time is the same as a person at another time as long as they have the very same soul.

Many theorists see Identity as something that is solid and unchanging - something that is true to your inner-self. Others argue that your identity is something that is constantly changing and adapting, and something that requires commitment and action to sustain. Problems that occur with finding an identity lie in that people seek to be accepted into that new identity and be validated by others.

Who I am? Personally, I believe that a person’s identity can take only one of two routes. One, a person’s identity can change within that person’s life. Who I am now, is not necessarily who I was when I was younger. Experience can and will likely modify our identities. Therefore, experience can solidify our personal identification or it can weaken our personal identification. And as such, individuals and their perspectives are always evolving, or at the very least, they should evolve over time. Although there are some identities that evolve throughout one’s lifetime; there are some identities that remain consistent. Two, some identities cannot and will not change. So identities are socially and/or politically forces upon you, some identities are genetically assigned to you, and some you choose to keep. No matter the reason or reasons, these identities have been and will be consist within your lifespan. But, how you deal with them is up to you as an individual.

Makaela Jones (300409342) Topic: State the soul theory or personal identity, and clearly explain one objection to the soul theory. Word count: 498 The soul theory of personal identity states we are persons as long as we have an immaterial soul.

There are numerous factors that either make up or restrain the self-identity of a person or an individual. Culture, in addition to family traditions, is one of the factors that affect the self-identity of an individual. When growing up, the environment around affect the personality, values, as well as, beliefs of an individual. The environment includes friends, family members, and the people that affect the life of an individual. So, if the environment is negative, then an individual will have low self esteem.

Identity is what evolves us, it is what makes us think the way we do, and act the way we act, in essence, a person’s identity is their everything. Identity separates us from everyone else, and while one may be very similar to another, there is no one who is exactly like you; someone who has experienced exactly what you have, feels the way you do about subjects, and reacts the same to the events and experiences you have had. This became prevalent to me as I read through many books, that everyone goes through the process of finding who they are. A prevalent theme throughout literature is the idea that over time one develops their identity through life over time, in contrast to being born with one identity and having the same

When looking at personal identity, one would define who they are by perhaps what it is that makes them who they are today, compared to who they were five years prior, or even a week ago. One’s personal identity can form from virtually anything that someone believes defines who they are as a person. Soul theory goes one step further, explaining that it is not our body who defines us as who we are, it is simply our soul that does the defining. This theory suggests that our soul is completely separate from our body. Our soul exists before we are born and long after we have passed away and our body has decomposed into the earth. When we are alive, our body takes on a soul which it will possess until the day we die, or so Miller says. The soul is seen as non-material, for it cannot be seen and we cannot physically wear it. It is composed of our past experiences, thoughts, and feelings and continues to build onto them as we grow as individuals. Soul theory clearly explains that we, as humans, are not defined by the body we are in or what we do, but by the soul we have within these bodies.