The View of Self

The View of Self The view of the 'self' and the theory of personal identity are one of

the most interesting topics in the world of philosophy. It attempts

to answer the question as to what makes the person now the same person

that existed a year (or any period of time) ago. The world is

constantly evolving and becoming more technologically proficient;

one's identity is becoming more difficult to define. John Locke, an

early modern philosopher, is credited as being the first philosopher

to attempt to find the one constant that makes each person the same,

from day to day or decade to decade. This essay proposes to explain

the principles regarding Locke's 'Theory of the Self', examine the

constant that makes each person the same over a period of time and

assess its validity by examining a few arguments against his theory.

In An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, John Locke attempts to

answer the problem of personal identity. He draws a distinction

between being the same man and being the same person. Locke claims

that the two are not the same; he regards man as being the physical

body and person as being the mind. Also, he asserts that anything

concerning man can be applied to other organisms, such as animals or

plants. However, personal identity is a unique phenomenon to only

human beings. Locke believes that a person can be defined as "a

thinking intelligent being, that has reason and reflection, and can

consider itself as itself, the same thinking thing, in different times

and places; which it does only by that consciousness which is...

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... as being the first philosopher to

attempt to find the one constant that makes each person the same, from

day to day or decade to decade. He believes that continuity of

consciousness is this constant and holds that without memories, it

would be impossible for one to think and act. Locke’s ‘Theory of the

Self’ fails to address such issues such as the subconscious and

assumes that thinking regularly coexists with an awareness of

thinking, which was proved to be false. Therefore, I believe that

Locke’s theory of the continuity of consciousness and the attempt to

convince me that I am the same person throughout my life,

unfortunately, is nothing more than an innovative effort.

Bibliography

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Baird, Forrest E., and Walter Kaufmann. Modern Philosophy. 4th ed.

Pearson Education: New Jersey, 2003.