Personal Identity

1736 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Locke's theory of personal identity

To understand Locke’s concept of personal identity it is necessary to understand what he means by identity and what he means specifically by personal identity. Locke states there are three substances that we have ideas of and that have identities. He defines idea in Essay concerning Human Understanding as “whatsoever is the object of the understanding when a man thinks” (Essay, chapter 1, section 8). That is to say that an idea, to Locke, is the basic unit of human thought. Identity is based off of comparison of these ideas in different times and places. Locke first splits substances of which we have ideas into three groups; God, finite intelligences, and bodies. Locke writes that identity is ascertained by a comparison between the idea of an object at one moment in one place, and the idea of the object at another time and place. If these two ideas match up, that is to say that they are exactly the same, then the object itself is the same. God’s identity is indubitable, as he is eternal and unchanging. Finite intelligences and Bodies each have an exact beginning, and when you compare the current finite intelligence or body to its beginning you can understand its identity. An object cannot have two distinct beginnings in time and space, and two objects cannot share in one beginning. As such, finite intelligences and bodies each have unique beginnings which identify them. Locke’s idea of personal identity is based on the same principal of continued comparison as the identities of the three substances. Personal identity or the identity of self is defined as the conditions under which a person can be considered to be the same at two different times. Locke bases personal identity or the idea of self squarely on consciousness... ... middle of paper ... ...ribe to. It is about being conscious in a continuous way, and having that consciousness be attached to a specifically identified body. . This does raise the question of what exactly makes a consciousness the same from moment to moment. What is guaranteeing that the consciousness I am experiencing right now is the same one, and I am therefore the same person, as the consciousness at any other moment? When someone goes to sleep and wakes again in the morning, isn’t it possible that the consciousness could have been swapped out with one from a completely different person during the night? Each person shares in being able to perceive that they are thinking or perceiving, but what distinguishes one person’s perception of perceiving from any other? Locke, I think, gives the answer of a consciousness being defined by the finite body or mind it is connected to.

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of John Perry's Dialogue On The Problem Of Personal Identity

    1025 Words  | 3 Pages

    In this paper I offer an explication of John Perry’s dialogue on the problem of personal identity, and my evaluation of the strongest account of personal identity between the body, mind, and soul. In this paper I will argue that the strongest account of personal identity is that a person can be identified by their soul. By having the sameness of soul you will then be able to solve the problem of personal identity. Your soul is the foundation of whom you are and by definition, personal identity means “The persistent and continuous unity of the individual person normally attested by continuity of memory with present consciousness.” And without your soul memory could not exist.

    Read More

  • John Locke’s Theory of Personal Identity

    724 Words  | 2 Pages

    The question of personal identity is very intuitive, yet very difficult to define. Essentially, what makes you, you? John Locke was one philosopher who attempted to answer this question. He proposed a psychological theory to define personal identity. His theory does have some merit, but it is not a correct definition of personal identity, since there are some counter-examples that cannot be accounted for. My argument will prove that Locke’s theory of personal identity is false.

    Read More

  • Descrates Mind And Body Dualism Analysis

    826 Words  | 2 Pages

    Review all beliefs for clarity and coherence.”(South University Online) Different from Descrate and his philosophy, empiricist John Locke had different thoughts on the mind and body. Locke felt that what really lead to knowledge of things was our experiences beginning at the time we are born, he believed that our brains were blank with no knowledge or information and only existed until our senses activated at the time we were born. Locke believed that as an individual lives life and grows older we are then filled with experiences that allows our mind to communicate with our bodies, something that Descrate was unable to answer since he believed that the mind and the body were totally separate. Locke also thought that some things just are for example, an object just is, whether it be broken, dissolved, melted, cut it just is because it remains the same, same volume, ounces and weight, this is known as the primary qualities, the secondary qualities he believed were created in the

    Read More

  • The Egocentric Predicament

    482 Words  | 1 Pages

    The Egocentric Predicament is a problem associated with our ideas and how we perceive the world. Locke believes all knowledge come from personal ideas; these ideas are based upon our perception of the world. However, if we only see the world based on our own ideas how can there be any external or objective world. This begs questions similar to; can I really know an objective world exists? If there is no external world do any other minds –or ideas- other than my own exist? How can we ever test reality if it is our own mental construction? Locke concludes that we do have some knowing in relation to the subjective and objective reality that they do exist, but that we do not have a clear idea between one and of the other.

    Read More

  • Locke, Hobbes, Mill, Thoreau

    1432 Words  | 3 Pages

    For individual property to exist, there must be a means for individuals to appropriate the things around them. Locke starts out with the idea of the property of person; each person owns his or her own body, and all the labor that they perform with the body. When an individual adds their own labor, their own property, to a foreign object or good, that object becomes their own because they have added their labor. This appropriation of goods does not demand the consent of humankind in general, each person has license to appropriate things in this way by individual initiative.

    Read More

  • John Locke's Means Of Property

    888 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of Locke’s statements that he discusses is that of an individual’s own person. Example, when an individual takes away something from nature through his/her hard work, it will not be considered as “common property” of all mankind no more, because it would belong ONLY to himself. For instance, If an individual picks up (fruits) under a tree, the so called fruit will automatically belong to him at the moment they were gathered, rather than at the

    Read More

  • Essay On John Locke

    1554 Words  | 4 Pages

    In a state of nature, each man, as the possessor of reason and free will, is cognitively independent and equal, and so, by implication, politically independent and equal (Braman 07). Locke knew that men were there own learning tools within themselves. Not only did they learn from there mistakes, which was known for centuries, but, they also grew from one another and took what they needed for there own well mental development (Braman 09) Just like mankind has been doing for as long as anyone can remember, they have been working there owns ways of life out for themselves and to learn from one another and not from someone or something telling you how you should be living.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Monism And Dualism

    1052 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...tainly possessed these qualities of life even with all is idiosyncrasies Locke believed we were all created equal that this was “self-evident”. Locke’s’ reason was to abide by the laws of God as well as the government. He thought that we should be mindful of how we treat ourselves and others at all times for as long as we live. . As a result of Locke’s views, he established “New liberties that would be enshrined in civil, social, and political rights”. (Biblical Politics pg. 95) “Although Locke’s new political order left individuals free from subjection to authority and helped overcome gender and similar barriers to personal and social advancement, this order also became problematic: a new-found emphasis on reason ultimately led to a disruption in the human spirit and to new forms of social isolation”.( Biblical Politics pg. 95-96)

    Read More

  • John Locke’s Views on Property and Liberty, as Outlined in His Second Treatise of Government

    4595 Words  | 10 Pages

    Locke’s first assumption is that although God gave “the world to men in common,” all men have a ‘right’, in the first instance, “to their preservation, and consequently to meat and drink and such other things as nature affords for their subsistence.” [3] Each individual has also been given “reason to make use of it to the best advan...

    Read More

  • Philosophy Paper #1: Personal Identity

    1056 Words  | 3 Pages

    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. One more perspective on personal identity and the one I will attempt to explain and defend in this paper is that personal identity requires both physical and psychological continuity; my argument is as follows:

    Read More

  • The Memory Theory Of John Locke And Locke's Personal Identity

    1057 Words  | 3 Pages

    Personal identity examines what makes a person at one time identical with a person at another. Many philosophers believe we are always changing and therefore, we cannot have a persisting identity if we are different from one moment to the next. However, many philosophers believe there is some important feature that determines a person’s identity and keeps it persistent. For John Locke, this important feature is memory, and I agree. Memory is the most important feature in determining a person’s identity as memory is the necessary and sufficient condition of personal identity.

    Read More

  • Self Identity

    1536 Words  | 4 Pages

    The self is something that has been defined as a “relatively stable set of perceptions of who we are in relation to ourselves, others, and to social systems.” It has also been defined as a “primary (although, basic) social identity.” (Jenkins 1996) Identity however, refers to who or what one is and to the various meanings attached to oneself by ourselves and others,

    Read More

  • Comparison Of René Descartes And John Locke

    809 Words  | 2 Pages

    Locke was an empiricist and materialist who believed that knowledge comes from experiences and that substances outside of the mind are indeed real. To him, the mind was considered a blank slate or “tabula rasa” at birth and knowledge of the world comes through sensations and reflection. In his essay Locke expresses, “Our observation, employed either about external sensible objects or about the internal operations of our minds perceived and reflected on by ourselves, is that which supplies our understanding with all the materials of thinking.” (Locke 158) Direct sensory experiences and personal memories of past experiences actually make each and every person unique and knowledgeable. Locke believes there are two different ideas to every object, simple ideas and complex ideas. A simple idea is one attribute that aids in making the object what it is. A complex idea is the actual object it’s self; many simple ideas form the complex idea. In addition to Locke’s ideas, he also believes that every object has two types of qualities, primary and secondary. Primary qualities are “in the object” such as figure, motion, or extension. If it was not for these particular qualities, an object could not be known for what it is. Secondary qualities are solely in the perceiver and can change without the object itself changing. Color, sound, and taste

    Read More

  • My Personal Identity

    956 Words  | 2 Pages

    A person’s identity is shaped by many different aspects. Family, culture, friends, personal interests and surrounding environments are all factors that tend to help shape a person’s identity. Some factors may have more of an influence than others and some may not have any influence at all. As a person grows up in a family, they are influenced by many aspects of their life. Family and culture may influence a person’s sense of responsibilities, ethics and morals, tastes in music, humor and sports, and many other aspects of life. Friends and surrounding environments may influence a person’s taste in clothing, music, speech, and social activities. Personal interests are what truly set individuals apart. An individual is not a puppet on the string of their puppet-master, nor a chess piece on their master’s game board, individuals choose their own paths in life. They accomplish, or strive to accomplish, goals that they have set for themselves throughout their lifetime. Individuals are different from any other individual in the world because they live their own life rather than following a crowd of puppets. A person’s identity is defined by what shaped it in the first place, why they chose to be who they are, and what makes them different from everybody else in the world. I feel that I have developed most of my identity from my own dreams, fantasies, friends, and idols.

    Read More

  • The Influence Of John Locke On Personal Identity

    1015 Words  | 3 Pages

    Summary of John Locke’s view on personal identity The concept of personal identity is a central philosophical component to a debate to which many theorists have contributed their theories to. One of the most prominent theories on personal identities was by John Locke, one of the influential theorist in the 17th century. Locke first begins by making an important distinction between the nature of identity as being relative, rather than absolute.

    Read More

More about Personal Identity

Open Document