The Correct Solution to the Problem of Self-Identity Identity can be defined as the way you perceive or define you, or whatever makes an entity definable and recognizable in terms of possessing a set of qualities or characteristics that distinguish it from other entities, or what makes me, me and you, you. In philosophy, identity is essentially sameness (Solomon, Higgins, Martin 296). In this sense, identity consists of what makes you a unique individual and distinguishes you from others. Identity is also how you define yourself and the structure of your life made up of learned values and principles. Self-identity is the way one characterizes oneself, either in general or in particular (Solomon, Higgins, Martin 285). Self-identity is what makes you the same person over time. In his Meditation VI, René Descartes states that self-identity hinges on consciousness and does not depend on our body staying the same, and that is why human identity is unlike the identity of anything else in existence (Solomon, Higgins, Martin 288). The philosophical problem of self-identity “is how to identify an individual as the same individual over time” (Solomon, Higgins, Martin 286). There are many different philosophical theories that attempt to solve the problem of self-identity. Despite memories being distorted and forgotten the best solution to the problem of self-identity is based on self-consciousness and not the substances of the soul or the body. The famous philosopher, John Locke sets forth a prime theory in his teachings of how to use consciousness and memories to answer the problem of self-identity. John Locke’s solution to the problem of self-identity is known as the memory theory. He argues that self, or personal identity, is based on... ... middle of paper ... ...mories cannot be transferred to others, making them unique to the individual. However, if Smith does come to forget the experience of buying the Lexus then it would be like the event never happened. When the experience of buying the Lexus leaves the consciousness, is beyond retrieval, then and only then could Smith argue he is not the same self and should not have to pay for the car. Locke’s Memory Theory has been faced with a lot of criticism, but solves the philosophical problem of self-identity effortlessly and effectively. Locke shows how memories can link a person to all of the different parts of their lives. The events that take place in the course of one’s life mold one as defined by the conscious and these acquired memories and experience extend through time, allowing for an individual to retain the sense of self from all aspects and times in their life.
In his essay “An Essay Concerning Human Understanding” John Locke makes a connection between memory and consciousness and called this connection the memory theory. The memory theory states that if “a thinking intelligent being, that has reason and reflection, and can consider itself as itself, [and is] the same thinking thing, in different times and places” then it is continuously the same rational being has a consciousness (Locke 1959). Locke ties the consciousness and memory together by saying that “as far as … consciousness can be extended backwards to any past action or thought, so far reaches the identity of that person”; meaning that if a person has memories of their existence and actions they are the same person. Locke connects the memory
Although the concept of identity is recurrent in our daily lives, it has interpreted in various ways.
What the texts suggest about the relationship between how an individual sees themselves vs how the individual is seen by others, is through the concept of identity. An individual’s identity is shaped by many factors: life experiences, memories, personality, talents, relationships and many more.
Consciousness is seemingly always during the present and memory, a past entity. However, Locke responds to Reid and claims that one can have a memory of something without having consciousness of that memory. Reid continues to argue that identity must be something that stays exactly the same over time, however, our consciousness is in a state of constant fluctuation, thus our personal identity would be endlessly changing. Locke counters Reid, however, arguing that our consciousness is constantly changing and that we could still be very much conscious when we are sleeping. Furthermore, our personal identity is not restricted by our consciousness however, our capability to be conscious of former memories. Although Locke successfully responds to Reid’s first criticisms, Reid presents the analogy of the brave officer which highlights key contradictions that effectively subvert Locke’s account of personal
Sameness of person consists not in sameness of soul nor the sameness of body, but in sameness of consciousness. According to the memory view, the personal identity is established by (genuine) memory-relations. Locke’s theory manifests the idea that rather than being tied to our physical bodies, our identity is bound to our consciousness. Locke, in one of his works states that consciousness is the perception of what passes in a man’s own mind. Essentially, meaning that consciousness equals memories. Unlike, the conventional theories; bodily and soul view, Locke’s views that memory relations constitute “a person is a sequence of person-stages linked by (genuine) memory.” As personal identity is not bound by a constant component of a person to be present over a whole lifetime, neither body nor a soul.
John Locke wrote An Essay Concerning Human Understanding in 1689. He strongly defends empiricism in this essay and states his views on human knowledge and true understanding. In Book II, Locke offers his theory of personal identity; namely the mind theory, also known as ‘the psychological criterion’, in the middle of his accounts of general identity where he draws lines between inert objects, living things and persons.
This paper will argue that the philosopher John Locke would have agreed that the human being Karla Faye Tucker should have been executed. I will start by examining the fundamental difference between a human being and a person as forwarded by Locke. In addition, this paper will address what identity over time or what it means to be the same person over a period of time is. I will then show that through Locke's personal opinions, he would have believed that the human being Karla Faye Tucker was the same person who committed the crime 14 years ago and is thus culpable for punishment. A strong objection to my argument however is of Hume's opinion or lack of opinion (account or lack of account) on personal identity. Hume argues that the concept of personal identity is a falsification and that our personal identity is nothing more than a collection of memories which we bundle together as memories. I will counter-argue however that "
The doctrine of self identity is one that has throughout history been a way for people to identify who they were in relation to other individuals and society as a whole. To take into account how an individual’s identity is shaped, it is imperative to know it through the context of oneself and of society. This will not only provide a more holistic approach to understanding how self identity is shaped, but also how it relates to race. Nikki Giovanni’s poem “Nikki-Rosa” and Zora Neale Hurston’s “How It Feels to Be Colored Me,” reflect on the idea of racial self identity through harsh critiques from societal and internal pressures seeking to label and categorize people on the basis of race.
One may not recall everything that has happen to him or her throughout their entire lives, but there is a good chance that an unconscious part of their mind does. One may not remember the minute details of a day at the beach, but returning to that same beach a decade later and finding a vaguely familiar seashell may bring back memories of that faithful day. In Swann’s Way, Marcel Proust likened this feature of memory to a “Celtic belief that the souls of those whom we have lost are held captive in some inferior being” (Proust, 1801). Here, souls are memories. They are unbeknownst to us, chained to something other than our conscious mind (intellect); yet, freeing those memories is as simple as finding their prison or re-experiencing the sensations that made them remarkable in the first place.
In his “An Essay Concerning Human Understanding” John Locke discusses personal identity where he tries to show that personal identity depends on our memories. Locke also discuses some of the changes that are possible in our constitution that still result in the same personal identity. However, I think that Locke fails to account for certain aspects of memory that effect personal identity which leads me to think personal identity may not be what Locke proposes it to be.
Locke argues that personal identity is not measured through anything physical or observable, but rather, a person’s ability to recall the past memories and the connections between them. Although Weirob would argue otherwise, stating that the body and the conscious must have some connection and exclusivity, however Locke offers an interesting example as a rebuttal. He argues, if one were to take a knife and cut their own pinkie finger off, they would still be the same person with the same memories, regardless of what body parts remain attached or otherwise. In addition, he argues that identity is also dependent on the idea that two things cannot be the same and exist in two places. By their nature, being in two different locations makes them different, inherently. The implications of this view have been well challenged by Weirob, and the two conditions described by Locke coincide one another. If identity is unobservable by anyone but themselves through memory recall, how can you prove there isn’t someone out there with the same real memory recall? If it can only be proven inside our own minds, how would anyone be able to prove that someone doesn’t have the same memories without some form of telepathy? As we can assume telepathy is unlikely, what can be drawn from this conclusion is
If an individual loses his past self, would he still be the same individual? According to the personal identity memory theory by John Locke, as long as a person is the same self, the personal identity of that person is the same. But for Leonard Shelby who is the main character if the Memento film, this does not apply after he suffered a condition that hinders him from creating new memories. This paper addresses the topic of the truth of John Locke’s perception of personal identity which follows that Leonard does not have a personal identity. The paper reviews the Memento film which is a psychological thriller which presents two different personal identities of Leonard Shelby after suffering from a memory condition. The paper
It is well known that David Hume rejected any idea of a 'substance of the mind' that would account for, among other things, personal identity. I will attempt to show that Hume's argument against the existence of substantival mind presupposes that such an entity actually ...
John Locke, one of the most influential philosophers of all time, believed that the key to personal identity was within one’s consciousness. In Carly Pace’s discussion forum for John Locke she goes on to say that, “Locke defines consciousness as the force by which personal identity is established.” What John Locke means by consciousness is that it is a person’s mind and soul, essentially their entire personal and spiritual identity. John Locke goes as far to say that without a consciousness you aren’t even considered a real person. John Locke’s entire philosophical debate on the state of consciousness is to determine what it actually takes to truly distinguish a normal human being from a unique person.
It has been demonstrated that memory is a constructed process. So, we can add new information to past memories every time that we retrieve it in a new context. Every time that people talk about past events’ memories, they most of the time forgets details or give wrong descriptions about things that happened. Moreover, in some cases, people can also describe things that never happened. Therefore, it is very easy to change others memories. It is amazing to know that our memory can be influenced by others in a positive and in a negative direction.