Kevin Kinghorn Questions Of Identity Summary

Kevin Kinghorn’s “Questions of Identity: Is the Hulk the Same Person as Bruce Banner?” reflects on the unanswered question of personal identity and what makes us who we are. Kinghorn references many different philosophers in trying to discover if Bruce Banner is the same as the big green Hulk. Kinghorn helps the reader visualize what he is thinking by placing the them in the Judge and Jury’s place in a criminal trial with Bruce Banner being accused of crimes committed by the Hulk. He starts out by asking questions to the reader and using the “bodily identity” to compare the two.

Kinghorn states that people tend to correlate “personal identity” and “bodily identity” as the same. He refutes this though, with the idea that the Hulk is not Banner on a physical level. That the hulk simply has more atoms and atoms of different variant. He backs his claim by giving himself as an example in an organ donor situation. He states that if he were to die and his limbs or organs were to go to another person, in which fifty percent or more was replaced, that the receiver of the donation would still be himself and not a new Kinghorn.

Since Kinghorn says “bodily identity” is not a correct way to decide on a verdict in the case, the next step is to find out if the mental realm is a good place to look.

Kinghorn uses the philosophies of philosopher John Locke. Locke defines a person as, “a thinking intelligent being, that has reasons and reflection, and can consider itself as itself, the same thinking thing, in different times and places.” Kinghorn put Locke’s criteria to the test and is not convinced that the Hulk and Banner are the same yet. Kinghorn uses another philosopher, Thomas Reid, and his ideas on consciousness. Reid says that if there is not a connection between the mind of two people or even the same individual there is no way to prove they are the same. Kinghorn connects this to the Banner and Hulk question and is still looking for an

answer.
Kinghorn now falls back on the scientific and philosophic ways of cause and effect. He says that the mind cannot be without the physical body and vice versa. Now he uses the cause and effect on Banner. He concludes that since the Hulk derives from Banner and Banner from Hulk that they must be the same person. But, Kinghorn finds a problem in that theory too. He introduces the aspect of cloning and a new conciseness getting created. Now you cannot say they are the same even though one came from the other.
Kinghorn comes to the conclusion that the two individuals should be tried as one. This is because of Banner’s relationships he shares with the Hulk. The Hulk can recognize and recall certain people and actions wanted by Banner. Kinghorn ultimately leaves it up to the reader in the end to make their own decision on the criminal case.