What is Identity?

What is Identity?

Metaphysical Considerations

The Problem of Personal Identity• Is it possible that we change

who we are?• Can we lose our sense of self?• Do we always remain the

same person, no matter how much we change?

• What kind of change can bring our existence to an end?

• Is physical death the end of us?

Who Am I?

How Unified am

I?

Do I persist through

time?

Questions About Personal Identity

Continuity and Change• Are we bananas?• That is, do we undergo

continuous change (from green to yellow to brown)?

• But still remain ourselves?

• Are we one continuous thing?

• Are we caterpillars?• That is, do we change

into something else (from caterpillar to butterfly)?

• Are you a succession of different selves?

When did I start to exist?

• What kind of changes can you undergo and still be the same person?

• Did I start being me when I was born?

• Did I start to exist when I acquired cognitive abilities as a toddler?

What do we mean by same?

• Qualitative identity• Identical twins• The same car• Things that look the same & have the same properties

• Numerical identity• Hey! I just saw

someone riding the same bike that was stolen from my garage last week…

• One and the same thing…

4 Theories About Persistence Through Time

Illusion Theory

Body Theory

Soul Theory

Memory Theory

Do We Persist

Through Time?

Illusion Theory

• No self persists through time

• We change from one moment to the next

• We are constantly becoming a new person

• Associated with David Hume

Body Theory

• We persist through time as long was we have the same (numerical) body

• Same body, same person

Soul Theory

• We persist through time as long as we have the same soul

• Same soul, same person

Memory Theory

• We persist through time as long as we can remember something from our past life stages

• If we have over-lapping memories the same numerical person continues to exist

• Associated with John Locke