Rene Descartes On Personal Identity

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Personal identity refers to certain properties that make a person feel a special sense of attachment or ownership. Both philosophers John Locke and Rene Descartes had contrasting views about one’s working mind. Descartes believes that the mind cannot be identical to the body whereas Locke emphasizes that our bodies and mind are the same thing. Locke’s ideas on personal identity are primarily focused on memory, whereas Descartes is focused on the “thinking mind.” The thinking mind is our way of alerting the body, confirming that we are aware of our senses and selfhood. This interaction between the mind and body is commonly known as our consciousness, which has primary control over our mind and body. I unfortunately disagree with Locke and believe …show more content…
He developed this “I think therefore I am” hypothesis that vaguely points out that our brain is just an organ that houses the way we think and perceive information. The job of the brain is to break down and process what your mind is doing. Your mind is thinking, as it holds feelings, emotions, secrets, and personal thoughts. Your mind and brain are connected and placed in your head as the most important elements of your body. Your mind is in tune with your soul, whereas your brain is in tune with your body's functions. To keep a healthy mind, you must obtain your personal identity. Your personal identity overall describes your sense of “self.” Self is your consciousness, and our way of holding each other responsible for our thoughts and actions. Although a part of our “self” is subject to change through experience, we will mainly remain the same due to our beliefs and morals that we have instilled within us throughout our lifetimes from numerous origins like family, religion, and culture, which in turn help us identify as individuals. Descartes believes that one cannot lose themselves entirely in the process of finding their identity. According to him, when finding ourselves, we put our six passions to use. These are good for the soul to have, but could be easily wiped out. When they do harm, it's only because they strengthen and preserve our thoughts. Physically, we all change continuously, and our memories leave us or become incomplete. We could individually solve the most profound problems by only searching deep within ourselves. Finding ourselves reflects the message of The Method of Doubts because it requires a lot of

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