personal identity

Problem of personality

Explores whether we remain the same person despite changes throughout life.

Key question of personal identity

What accounts for the fact that I, the person who exists now, am identical to a person in the past or future?

Qualitative Identical

Two things are qualitatively identical if they have the same properties.

Numerical Identical

Something is numerically identical with something else only if they reference the same entity.

Self as substance theory

Identifies personal identity with the persistence of the body or soul over time.

Body theory

We persist through time as long as we have the same numerical body.

Soul theory

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

Memory theory

We persist through time as long as we can remember past life stages.

Narrative identity

States that our life stages must be part of a coherent story (narrative) to attribute personal identity.

Illusion theory

Posits that the self does not persist over time and our perception of continuity is an illusion.

Animalism

The identity conditions for humans are the same as for all other animals; we exist as long as our biological bodies do.

Discontinuity theory

Argues against the idea that anything persists through qualitative change.

Identity is compatible with change

Persons can change over time while still being the same person.

Thomas Reid's critique of memory theory

Questions whether the loss of memories means that one is no longer the same person.

Direct memories

Memories that can be recalled consciously at the present moment.

Indirect memories

Memories that one cannot recall directly but are associated with former versions of the self.

Genuine memory

A memory of an experience that actually happened to the individual.

False memories

Memories that do not accurately reflect actual past experiences.

Quasi-memories

Experiences that resemble memories but do not necessarily originate from the individual's own experiences.

Episodics

People who do not maintain a continuous narrative sense of self over time.

Hume's illusion theory

Poses that personal identity is an illusion as we only experience a succession of thoughts and perceptions.

Personal identity conclusion

No clear answer exists for the persistence of identity; various theories have their strengths and weaknesses.

Ship of Theseus

Philosophical thought experiment questioning the identity of an object that has had all its components replaced.

Reductionism

Philosophical perspective where entities are seen as reducible to simpler elements.

Eliminativism

Viewpoint asserting that certain entities do not exist or are mere illusions.

Realism

Belief that certain entities are real and enduring, existing independently.

Parfit's brain fission

Thought experiment exploring the implications of identity in cases where a person's consciousness is duplicated.

Dual person survival

Personal identity perspective that considers survival as possibly being shared between duplicates.

Survival over identity

Emphasizes the importance of continuity and survival rather than strict personal identity.

Psychological continuity

Refers to the idea that psychological connections over time establish identity.

Pragmatic concerns in identity theory

Practical implications of a person's identity affecting moral and ethical responsibility.

Marya Schechtman's narrative view

Conceives personal identity as linked to the coherence of one's life narrative.

Galen Strawson's episodics critique

Challenges the necessity of a narrative for having a continuous self.

Locke's psychological view

Claims personal identity is based on consciousness and memory.

Identity without a unified self

Issues with conceptualizing personal identity when one lacks a cohesive narrative.

Causal continuity

Theory that identity can be maintained through continuous causal relations.

Plato's essence concept

Philosophy suggesting a fundamental essence or form that determines identity.

Olivia Reid's interpretation

Proposes a view on identity linking continuous existence through self-reidentification.

Identity and moral implications

How theories of identity affect our understanding of personal responsibility and ethics.

Continuity through change

The idea that individuals can undergo change yet still remain the same person.

Reconstruction of identity

The process of integrating past experiences into a coherent self-concept over time.

Changing selves concept

Identity view recognizing that individuals may experience multiple distinct facets of themselves throughout life.