People have always been interested in the idea of finding out about personal identity, what makes you the same person as you were when you were five and what will make you the same person when you are eighty. Derek Parfit summed up this idea by saying “Whatever happens between now and any future time, either I shall still exist, or I shall not. Any future experience will either be my experience, or it will not.” (Parfit- 186), which is what personal identity looks into. This essay will discuss whether personal identity is a matter of physical or psychological continuity, taking into account the famous ideas of philosophers such as John Locke, Derek Parfit and Bernard Williams.
John Locke (1632-1704) argued for the side of psychological continuity …show more content…
Locke presupposes that identity exists, and so we cannot use this example as validation of personal identity being down to psychological continuity. Thomas Reid (1710-1796) also rejected Locke’s example, claiming that memory cannot be the basis of personal identity, as it does not logically make sense. The example that Reid used to dispute Locke’s argument was of a boy who was flogged as child and who grew up to become a Solider, then growing up to become an Old General. The Old General remembers being a Solider and the Solider remembers being a boy, but the Old General does not remember being flogged as a boy. According to Locke’s logic therefore, Reid argued that if we are basing personal identity on memories, the Solider and the boy are the same person, as are the Old General and the Solider, but the Old General and boy are not. This clearly cannot be true, as it is not logical to disagree saying they are not the same person. This then could lead us to think of personal identity being down the physical continuity of a person, where they remain in the same body and that is what is important for personal identity. It seems absurd for Locke to claim that they are not the same people. Lockean theorists refuted the argument by saying that this example can prove that psychological continuity is what is important, as although the Old General does not remember flogging, the Solider does remember it, so there is still a continuous line of memories. It is not essential that all memories are remembered for the duration of a person’s life, according to Locke, it’s whether the memories overlap and could be remembered at different stages of the person’s life that is important for personal
John Locke (1632-1704) argued for the side of psychological continuity …show more content…
Locke presupposes that identity exists, and so we cannot use this example as validation of personal identity being down to psychological continuity. Thomas Reid (1710-1796) also rejected Locke’s example, claiming that memory cannot be the basis of personal identity, as it does not logically make sense. The example that Reid used to dispute Locke’s argument was of a boy who was flogged as child and who grew up to become a Solider, then growing up to become an Old General. The Old General remembers being a Solider and the Solider remembers being a boy, but the Old General does not remember being flogged as a boy. According to Locke’s logic therefore, Reid argued that if we are basing personal identity on memories, the Solider and the boy are the same person, as are the Old General and the Solider, but the Old General and boy are not. This clearly cannot be true, as it is not logical to disagree saying they are not the same person. This then could lead us to think of personal identity being down the physical continuity of a person, where they remain in the same body and that is what is important for personal identity. It seems absurd for Locke to claim that they are not the same people. Lockean theorists refuted the argument by saying that this example can prove that psychological continuity is what is important, as although the Old General does not remember flogging, the Solider does remember it, so there is still a continuous line of memories. It is not essential that all memories are remembered for the duration of a person’s life, according to Locke, it’s whether the memories overlap and could be remembered at different stages of the person’s life that is important for personal