Analysis Of John Locke And The Problem Of Personal Identity

Fatima Binyamin 500700419 Professor David Checkland PHL 201 – Problems in Philosophy John Locke and the Problem of Personal Identity Personal identity, in a philosophical point of view, is the problem of explaining what makes a person numerically the same over a period of time, despite the change in qualities. The major questions answered by Locke were questions concerning the nature of identity, persons, and immorality (Jacobsen, 2016). This essay will discuss the three themes John Locke presents in his argument regarding personal identity, which are, the concept of categories, substance vs. man vs. person, and the continuity of consciousness. Categories Locke argues that we cannot compare something until we have an idea of what category the thing being discussed will the placed under. He elaborates on this notion and argues that asking whether something is the same or not is very blunt and open. When asking a question about sameness, one could ask, Is Professor Checkland the same person as he was five years ago? instead of Is Professor Checkland the same as five years ago? The latter question is not acceptable, according to Locke, because there is no category under which Professor Checkland is being judged upon. The former, however, implies that Professor Checkland is being judged on the basis of whether he is the same person as he was five years prior. Identity of substance, man, and persons The categories substance, man, and person all have different requirementsShow MoreRelatedJohn Locke’s Theory of Personal Identity Essay1692 Words   |  7 PagesJohn Locke (1632-1704) said ‘To find wherein personal identity consists, we must consider what person stands for †¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Locke, in set book, p. 275). 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