Term Paper on "Compare and Contrast Locke and Hume Conceptions of Personal Identity"

Term Paper 3 pages (1235 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Locke and Hume' conceptions of personal identity

CONTRASTING VIEW of LOCKE and HUME'S PERSPECTIVES on PERSONAL IDENTITY

Among other controversial issues in British empiricist philosophy is also the concept of personal identity. The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast two influential theories on the problem of personal identity: Locke's and Hume's approach of the matter. However the debates over the issue have continued even among contemporary philosophers, who try to deny or defend such remarkable predecessors as Hume and Lock. An example of defender of Hume's concept of personal identity, much denied otherwise is Susan Mendus. However, in spite of all accusations, Sarah Mendus discovers two redeeming aspects of Hume's treatment of personal identity: Hume rejects the distinction usually made when ascribed to persons and identity when ascribed to non-persons, on the basis that both in case of persons and in the case of non-persons we have imperfect identity. (Mendus, S., 1980:61).

Hume is rather skeptical when we he makes claims that we have no experience of a simple, individual impression that we can call the self- and he understands by the notion of "self" the totality of a person's conscious life. The main argument for this idea is that our perceptions are fleeting, and he concludes from this that all we are is a bundle of different perceptions. This "bundle" of different perception accounts for the idea of personal identity in his opinion. In Hume's view, the soul retains its identity not by virtue of some enduring core substance, but by being composed of many different, constantly changing elements. The question of personal identity is put under the incidence of the loose cohesion of one's personal experience. However, after this very brief account of Hume's perspective on personal identity, Locke's approach seems a more comprehensive and complex one. Up to now, the common point of incidence between the two philosophers appears to be the status of the soul. Neither Hume nor Locke do not emphasize the substance of the soul. Henceforth, Locke's conception of personal identity dwells not on the substance or the body, but in the "same continued consciousness," which is also distinct from the soul. However, for Locke, the soul may have no consciousness of itself. Body and soul differ because the body has a substance and the soul does not. Moreover, the soul may have the quality named "consciousness." The body, like any substance, may change, while consciousness remains the same. According to Locke, personal identity resides not in the brain (which is substance, like the body), but in consciousness. Many authors argue that John Locke was in fact the first to use the modern meaning of consciousness in his Essay Concerning Human Understanding.

According to Locke, personal identity "depends on consciousness, not on substance" nor on the soul. Identity refers to the fact that we are the same person to the extent that we are conscious of our past and future thoughts and actions in the same way as we are conscious of our present thoughts and actions. Consciousness is understood as underlying all the other thoughts, which doubles all thoughts, and therefore personal identity is only founded on the repeated act of consciousness. For Locke, the soul is representative of the thing which thinks inside human body. However, he argues that consciousness can be transferred from one soul to another, and that personal identity goes with consciousness. The soul will change as a result of the transfer, but the consciousness remains the same, meaning that personal identity is preserved. The reverse is also true, because, Locke also holds that consciousness can be lost as in utter forgetfulness while the "soul" or "thinking substance" remains the same.… READ MORE

How to Reference "Compare and Contrast Locke and Hume Conceptions of Personal Identity" Term Paper in a Bibliography

Related Term Papers:

Personal Identity Term Paper

Memory Theory of Personal Identity

Locke's theory of personal identity entails the memory theory. According to Locke, the basic idea behind personality theory is that no two similar things can… read more

Term Paper 4 pages (1292 words) Sources: 0 Topic: Biology / Life

---

English Literature Compare and Contrast Richard Connell Essay

English Literature

Compare and Contrast Richard Connell's "The Most Dangerous Game" with DH Thesis

Both Connell and Lawrence's stories involve masculine characters; although the two would appear on the surface… read more

Essay 3 pages (1096 words) Sources: 0 Topic: Philosophy / Logic / Reason

---

Compare and Contrast the Idea of Abstract Idea's From John Locke and David Hume Term Paper

John Locke and David Hume

John Locke, 1632-1704 was a British Philosopher, Oxford academic and medical researcher, whose involvement with Anthony Ashley Cooper directed him to turn into consecutively a… read more

Term Paper 5 pages (1531 words) Sources: 2 Style: MLA Topic: Philosophy / Logic / Reason

---

Lottery and Games Comparing and Contrasting Thesis

Lottery and Games

Comparing and Contrasting "The Lottery" with the Hunger Games

While both Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery" and the film adaptation of Suzanne Collins' the Hunger Games… read more

Thesis 4 pages (1334 words) Sources: 0 Topic: Literature / Poetry

---

Comparing and Contrasting of Environmental Policies Term Paper

Environmental Policies

Comparing and Contrasting Waste Reduction and Recycling Policies at Universal Studios and the Walt Disney Company

Universal Studios

Universal Studios has worked closely with the California Solid Waste… read more

Term Paper 1 pages (375 words) Sources: 2 Style: APA Topic: Environment / Conservation / Ecology

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>