This volume brings together the vital contributions of distinguished past and contemporary philosophers to the important topic of personal identity. Whether or not either of the two proposed readings is right, lockes intention in seems plain. This essay will address the validity of lockes theory of personal identity, which explains how one might be the same person over time. As per the law relating to information storage and personal integrity, you have the right to oppose art 26 of that lawaccess art 34 of that law and rectify art 36 of that law your personal data. An essay concerning human understanding john locke roger. Below you will find locke s theory of personal identity explained in plain english. Two treatises of government in the former, the false principles and foundation of sir robert filmer, and his followers, are detected and overthrown. On one interpretation of the rest of lockes account, an individual at one time and one at another are the same person just if the individual at.
John locke, an english philosopher argued that what makes a person able to identify themselves through time is continuity of ones memories and not the substance of the body. For locke, personal identity is characterized by three aspects. While defending these central claims with vigorous common sense, locke offers many incidental and highly influential reflections on space and time, meaning, free will and personal identity. John locke, of identity and diversity chapter xxvii of an essay.
In this book, galen strawson argues that in fact it is lockes critics who are wrong, and that the famous objections to his theory are invalid. When in 1683 his employer was exiled for political reasons, locke accompanied him and lived in the. Pdf john lockes theory of personal identity researchgate. Theories of personal identity locke, reid, grice, butler, hume notes memory theory was initially proposed by john locke in an attempt to dermine what constitutes an identity. Locke on personal identity stanford encyclopedia of. Essay on john lockes theory of personal identity bartleby. Locke holds that a person is the only basis for identity, and that personal identity is based on selfconsciousness the awareness of self and continued personal identity is reliant on memory.
Introduction the problems of personal identity the persistence question the population question the personalontology question the question of what matters in identity the persistence question. John locke on personal identity 906 words bartleby. An essay concerning human understanding by john locke, 9780140434828, download free ebooks, download free pdf epub ebook. In this paper i will assess john lockes account of personal identity which states that consciousness and memories are the sole reasons for our sense of self.
John locke considered personal identity or the self to be founded on consciousness viz. In 1667, he became the personal physician of the prominent lord antony ashley, and soon also acted as governor for the lords son. Introduction john locke argues that personal identity consists in sameness of. John locke on personal identity pubmed central pmc.
Initially i will explain his distinction between the concepts man, and person, followed by an indepth analysis of the key role of memory in continued personal identity. Is the identity of a person tied to the persistence of a body or a soul or something else entirely. But now we face the famous objection that was deferred in the last chapter. The main texts are all found in personal identity ed. The latter, is an essay concerning the original, extent, and end, of civil government john locke. John locke on personal identity essay i will argue that locke believed that if you remain the same person, there are various entities contained in my body and soul composite that do not remain the same over time, or that we can conceive them changing. Identity and personal identity an essay concerning human understanding 1689 learn with flashcards, games, and more for free. Locke s account of our personal identity thomas reid personal identity and memory sydney shoemaker. Lockes notion that personal identity derives from the sameness of consciousness over time.
For locke, memory is a necessary condition of personal identity. Locke explains what it is for things of various kinds to be the same thing. John lockes theory of personal identity underlies all modern discussion of the nature of persons and selvesyet it is widely thought to be wrong. Interview with locke and hume assume you have the opportunity to interview locke and hume on personal identity. For john locke it is our memories that connect together the different parts of our lives rather than bodily continuity. Thiel holds that locke had both cudworths use of the term and the trinity controversy on his mind when he wrote his account of personal identity. John locke 16321704 added the chapter in which he treats persons and their persistence conditions book 2, chapter 27 to the second edition of an essay concerning human understanding in 1694, only after being encouraged to do so by william molyneux 16921693.
The subject of this dissertation is john locke s concept of a person, his theory of personal identity, and the implications of both for the bioethical debate concerning brain death and advance directives. Lockes account of consciousness, unlike cudworths is neutral in respect to the materiality or immateriality of the soul. John lockes theory of personal identity underlies all modern discussion of the nature of persons and selves. John locke some issues in lockes philosophy of mind. Is the identity of a person tied to the persistence of a body or a. Theories of personal identity locke, reid, grice, butler. This concern presents locke with an intense case of a difficulty he faces. Since the physical body cannot maintain personal identity, locke comes to the conclusion that it must be the psychological aspect of humanity that retains personal identity.
In doing so, it highlights the prince and pauper argument as well as the day man and night man theory. The form of the self siyaves azeri, department of philosophy, koc university, istanbul, turkey. He stated that if the soul is the determinant of personal identity then what if two people share the same soul, and wondered if in this case they will be the same person. Belief in immortality requires an unchanging core to personal identity 2. Since locke ends up relating personal identity to consciousness and to memory, it is possible to say that, if understanding is not repeatedly presented with the idea of self identity, it would lose this idea. An essay concerning human understanding john locke download. A criterion of personal identity through time is given. Michael della rocca yale university explores some of the puzzles and problems of personal identity that arise from the revolutionary work of the philosopher john locke. John locke, an essay concerning human understanding read more quotes from john locke. Locke and personal identity doucas1 samdoucas prof. John lockes theory of personal identity philosophy essay. Find out how much you know about john locke and the concept of personal identity using an interactive, multiplechoice quiz and a printable.
Thus, we see the substance whereof personal self consisted at one time may be var ied at another, without the change of personal identity. May 18, 2012 john locke was one of the philosophers who were against the cartesian theory that soul accounts for personal identity. I offer an interpretation of locke that emphasizes the phenomenology of conscious experience and the narrative quality of the life of a person. Book ii chapter xxvii entitled on identity and diversity in an essay concerning human understanding 1689 has been said to be one of the first modern conceptualizations of consciousness as the repeated selfidentification of oneself. Pdf many think john lockes account of personal identity is inconsistent and circular. Grice of personal identity joseph butler of identity thomas reid of mr. Locke argues both that person is a forensic term and that personal identity consists in sameness of consciousness i argue that the best way to reconcile these two claims is to interpret locke as giving a moral account of personhood which. Based on previous thinkers such as john locke, the scottish philosopher david hume developed his own theory of personal identity, one that is along the lines of the buddhist conception. Such a criterion specifies, insofar as that is possible, the necessary and sufficient conditions for the survival of persons. Final paper locke and personal identity in chapter xxvii of an essay concerning human understanding, john locke outlines his theory of personal identity. Personal identity depends on consciousness not on substance.
For locke holds that consciousness is a sufficient condition of personal identitythat consciousness alone makes personal identity 10, 16. Nevertheless, locke s treatment of personal identity is one of the most discussed and debated aspects of his corpus. Doc john locke and personal identity hansel raphael. This lesson explains john locke s theories on personal identity. Locke can present a bit of a challenge to vce philosophy students. Firstly, personal identity consists in a thinking, rational thing considering. What makes you the same person as the little kid growing up a number of years ago. John locke theory on personal identity essay 1121 words. Lockes theory of personal identity was revolutionary in its own time and remains of interest today because it was the first to include a nonsubstantial account of personal identity. Can we even give any explanation at all of the persistence of a person. Includes bibliographical references pages 247248 the problem of personal identity john perry of identity and diversity john locke the soul anthony quinton personal identity h.
John locke speaks of personal identity and survival of consciousness after death. In the chapter of the essay on human understanding entitled of identity and diversity. John locke on personal identity essay philosophical analysis. If a is identical to b, then b must remember as thoughts or actions memory is also a sufficient condition of personal identity on locke s account.
Locke states, for the same consciousness being preservd, whether in the same or different substances. No pages on the english wikipedia link to this file. John locke holds that personal identity is a matter of psychological continuity. Free essays on john lockes account of personal identity. John locke, born in 1632 in wrington near bristol, studied science, medicine and philosophy at oxford. Leaving aside the regular challenges associated with reading a philosophy text, locke s archaic writing style often leaves students stumped. Memory plays a key part in identity because it is what makes us the same entity over time. In this example locke shows that the human body is not necessary in personal identity since you could have the same person in two different bodies. If b can remember as thoughts or actions, then b is the same person as a. See also atherton, lockes theory of personal identity. John locke and locke s theory of personal identity 927 words 4 pages. Consciousness and concernment updated edition princeton monographs in philosophy galen strawson on.