Psychological Continuity Of Personal Identity - 1655 Words

The question â€Å"What are we?† in an ontological sense is currently inconclusive and open for debate. Nevertheless, identifying a description of what we are not shall help uncover what we are. We are not a psychological continuity account of personal identity over time. Under this context, â€Å"psychological continuity† is defined as continuous mental states over time. For example, characteristics of one’s mind such as sentience, memory, and other mental faculties, must remain an uninterrupted continuum over time to be considered psychologically continuous. Additionally, under this context, the term â€Å"person† will hereafter refer to beings that have mental properties. Under philosophical context, the term â€Å"identity† is generally defined as its†¦show more content†¦Henceforth, to defend this argument, I shall introduce two schools of philosophical thought, one of which will support this argument, and the other of which will oppos e this argument. Thereafter, I shall conclude by showing that the opposing argument is unsound such that premise 1. and 2. shall thereafter be proven true. The canonical school of thought that is employed as a counter to the psychological continuity account of personal identity is one called animalism. Animalists argue that we are animals. Philosopher John Locke described animalism such that â€Å"An animal is a living organized body; and consequently the same animal †¦ is the same continued life communicated to different particles of matter, as they happened successively to be united to that organized living body †¦ This also shows wherein the identity of the same man consists; viz. in nothing but a participation of the same continued life, by constantly fleeting particles of matter, in succession vitally united to the same organized body.† Consequently, animalism implies that psychological continuity does not accurately describe what we are. For example, if a huma n is forced into a permanent comatose state for whatever reason, that human will cease to experience characteristic psychological events, nonetheless, she will still exist as an individual, i.e., she will still have a functioning cardiovascularShow MoreRelatedThe Issue Of Personal Identity Essay1529 Words   |  7 PagesIf persons persist over time then by what criteria do we determine their identity at different times? This is the issue of personal identity over time which continues to plague philosophers. What is it that allows me to say I am the same person today as I was yesterday or I will be tomorrow? Am I actually the same person? There has been no general consensus on the answer to this question. However many have proposed solutions to this question. 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