Your Identity or My Identity
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Can identity really be changed over time? If you change all of a ships parts, such as the one in the metaphysical puzzle “Theseus Ship,” does it still have the same identity as before? John Locke would look at this question and say that the ship would change because all it is made of is matter. The ship is not a “person,” by his definition therefore it cannot rationalize or create intellectual thoughts. Thomas Reid would also suggest that the ship has changed but he would justify this in another way. Reid would say that the self has no “self” and cannot be conscious of itself changing; only its physical part (matter) is susceptible to continuous change. When looking at both arguments, I would agree with Thomas Reid. How can a ship that is only made of physical parts not change over the course of its journey. It does not have a non-physical part, such as thoughts, and therefore cannot be aware of its physical parts changing or be responsible for its constancy or persistence.
On the topic of identity, John Locke brings up a very justified response. Locke believes that in order to be classified as a “person” you must be a rational, intellectual being. To be classified as a man, however, you are just a human being (text, 36). A good example of this rationale is to look at an animal such as a monkey; a monkey is not a human being, therefore by Lockes theory it cannot be a “man” but if this monkey could create rational, intellectual thoughts then it would be considered a “person.”
John Locke suggests that the criteria for being the same “person” and the same “man” are different (Text, 42). If your body, per say, was put through a blender and you came back out in a completely different physiological shape, you would not be the same “man.” However, if your physiological shape was changed but you still remembered the same thoughts and actions that you had prior to the change, you are still the same “person.” With this being said it can always work the other way around also. If you were to get a head injury and lose all your memory, you would still have the same physiological shape and still be a “man” by not remembering any previous thoughts or actions you would be a different “person.”
John Lockes theory would only apply to the “Theseuss Ship” puzzle if you were looking at the ship as being a “man.” Locke would answer that the ship had changed and that it was no longer the same ship at all. The reason he would argue this is because a ship has no feelings, only matter; and if it is only matter and you change all of its matter how can it be the same ship. A ship is not capable of having its own thoughts and actions, therefore it cannot be a “person” and is susceptible to change.
Thomas Reid however has a completely different way of looking at “identity.” Reid suggests that the self does not change during the course of life (text, 47). The self, however is different than your “body.” According to Reid all bodies are subject to continual change and that they are not a perfect identity. His claim is that if we were to rename ourselves after every small change such as a hair falling out, we would run out of names by the end of the week. This is why our bodies are not perfect identity and that they are just something which for convenience of speech we call “identity” (text, 47).
With the “self,” Reid believes that when we change our bodies physically we are aware of this change. Because of this awareness our “self” remains the same because it is not physical. The self is also responsible