PHILOSOPHY - History: Locke on Personal Identity #2

Part 2 of 3. What makes you the same person as the little kid growing up a number of years ago? Is the identity of a person tied to the persistence of a body or a soul or something else entirely? Can we even given any explanation at all of the persistence of a person? Michael Della Rocca (Yale University) explores some of the puzzles and problems of personal identity that arise from the revolutionary work of the philosopher John Locke.

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[danielmaxwell-perry]

Here's what I've decided for now. I believe it's our identity that makes us who we are. However because our identities our changed by our memories and experiences, it's impossible to be the same person forever. We constantly change as individuals and as a collective.

I'm gonna back this up with a little spirituality and science. The law of divine oneness suggests that are actions constantly influence those around us. So if our actions affect others, then we constantly create circumstances that not only change us but those around us as well.

Change is also a scientific fact. The universe is constantly changing. As well as the cells in our body, the strength of our bodies and our core values. Change is the natural way of the universe.

So there for I put to you that none of us are ever the same person. As natural beings we're designed to be fluid both physically and metaphysically.

[Perisher]

you know what i hate about philosophy is the fact that they use the same bloody word in the same sentence more then 3 times. he might of said mass of matter about 10 times in 30 seconds. it always gets me confused hahaha still a good video though it is, helping me out in philosophy classes.

[ReasonableForseeability]

Michael is such a great instructor, speaker, lecturer, presenter, explainer ... -- what's the right word?

[ronmaessen]

Next video:
-Memory recall is not completely accurate or total. How does Locke explain this? (The breakfast problem)
-If the same memory is found in two people (maybe by duplicating the brain) would Locke say that they are the same person? (The branching problem)
-If (T: person at time) T2 = T1 and T3 = T2 does it follow that T3 = T1? (The brave officer problem)

[ShogunOrta]

But so if Locke is basing the sameness of the earlier and later person on Consciousness alone, then what does he think about crazy people? People with multiple personality disorders or persons with dementia and etc. who seem to experience a change in their consciousness as time moves on, what about them?

[Fjolvarr]

It frustrates me when I get possessed by Obama too.  He should stick to possessing his own body.

[vioricaramirez]

The best part about all this is that you are still MDR. Greetings! If you read this, I am the Viorica that you know.

[glendasworld]

he's taking a while to explain Locke...

[alittax]

6:37 Hold on, what? Earlier (5:57) we saw that thing A can be composed of all matter that composed thing B, but that doesn't make thing B the same as thing A. Now, it says otherwise.

[eschoney]

Consciousness of a person is a continious process in his whole life. So in every space and time point we have a different consciousness. Thus personal identity is an illusion or delusion.

[anomalylogic]

In the video it says Locke advances the claim that what makes someone the same person as their previous self is that they can remember the thoughts and actions of the previous self. That seems to fall short of explaining phenomena such as when someone loses all pass memory. Is that somehow a new person, then if they regain their memories sometime later do they change from that new identity back to the previous identity?

[peroz]

What a fascinating topic! One question : in Locke 's view, is it theoretically possible for the same consciousness to inhabit as it were two bodies at the same time?

[WeiqiGoh-zm]

isn't Descartes' idea of the existence of the mind more closer to a thinking thing/ memory/consciousness as opposed to soul?

[Tritdry]

I don't understand what the difference between consciousness and mind is supposed to be, which seems central to Locke's claim.

[xoxovitar]

I was wondering if anyone could help me with this question.

According to Locke, are we the same person when we are asleep as when we are awake?

[kitsuziza]

Lockes ideas are intresting but im not sure how they stack against current theories in physics. Considering that all time happens simultaneously. In this analogy person A has always been the same person as person B even though person B has yet to be experienced.

[plasmaballin]

Isn't it obvious that personal identity is based on consciousness? I thought that was just a given. The real question is figuring out what makes two consciousnesses in different points in time the same.

[alfredoromero]

im sorry but all the beginning explaining the plants is just unnescesarly confusing. You could've started explaining like you did in 8:00 and would've been way clearer

[eddobh]

So, roughly, a person with same memories and cognitve processes as me will be me, as long as there's some kind of continuety between us. It raises two questions then: clones with "copied" memories, and artificial brains in cyborgs as a way to extend the organic life, but without the action of hormonies. These are cases of same identity?

[Lewis_Laswell]

There are people with DID that never have any memories of the time another personality had control. This is the same for that other personality. It feels like they switch their body with someone else for some time. Does this make them two different identities/persons according to Locke?