The Concept of Self-Identity in Lockes Theory - Essay Example

Self-Identity Self-identity is a concept that relates to ones understanding of themselves. It is composed of relatively permanent self-assessments that encompass aspects such as one’s abilities, knowledge of one’s skills, personality and physical attributes, the occupation status and hobbies of an individual. Self-identity deals with questions that often arise about ourselves by virtue of us being people. Many of the questions occur to nearly all human beings at one point in time: Who am I? What will happen in future? Where will I be? And so forth. The idea of character toward self has been talked about by a few thinkers since the inceptions of the Western theory. A few researchers recommend that "self" begins from the brain, others say the self is basically what the psyche thinks while others accept that the idea of self is an outlandishness in itself (Solomon, 112). This paper will give a top to bottom investigation of the idea of character toward oneself in view of diverse hypotheses of the brain research of the self. The paper will likewise propose the hypothesis that best portrays the idea in view of an examination of the shortcomings and qualities of the hypotheses. Identity toward oneself is made out of ones stable arrangement of memories and encounters and cooperates with ones respect toward oneself, information, and social self to create the entire self. Identity toward oneself is not limited to the present. It likewise incorporates the past and future selves. Past "self" includes what the individual got to be off in the prior times while future self is a sign of a singulars musings on what they wish to turn into. Future self additionally incorporates the reasons for alarm of an individual on what they will get to be and their trusts, objectives, gauges, and dangers. Future selves may be driving elements for future conduct and may additionally give chances to one to assess their current perspective of self (Solomon, 97). The very concept of self-identity is too tricky to define correctly. This is because although the determinants of self-identity have always been a concern for many philosophers, the greatest concern is grounded in the question of what character traits and features characterize a given individual at a particular time (Solomon, 124). This is attributed to the loosely connected questions that arise from the concept. Some of these questions revolve around personhood, population, persistence and evidence. Personhood relates to the issues that involve the necessities and traits of being a person. Persistence involves what it takes for an individual to persist from time to time while evidence relates to how individuals find out who they are in life. Lastly, population relates to the determinants of the number of people that exist in a particular time. The most dubious inquiry of the above named is the ingenuity question. The ingenuity inquiry has delivered errors as to the idea of character. Numerous scholars frequently express the tirelessness address as the conceivable circumstances under which an individual existing at one point is indistinguishable to an individual existing at some other time. This suggestion by a dominant part of the scholars is limit and does not epitomize all the parts of being an individual (Solomon, 132). There are a few hypotheses that endeavor to address the idea of identity toward oneself in point of interest 1. The immaterial soul hypothesis Descartes in the immaterial soul theory put forward arguments in favor of the existence of the soul as a separate entity substance. He believed that the mind and body were of a different substance. The body by its nature is divisible while the brain is indivisible. He further stated that the body has an extension of space hence can be attributed physical properties. The mind, on the other hand, has no extensions hence no physical properties. Descartes further argued that one cannot doubt the existence of one’s own mind. He retorted that if one doubts, he is thinking, and if he thinks then his mind exists (Solomon, 124). The immaterial soul hypothesis explicitly analyzed the human body and its immortal state. Descartes suggested that the mind is not identical to the soul. However, many religions consider that a person is made up of three substances; the body, soul and mind. In this view, even if the mind degenerates, the soul remains. The main limitation of this theory is the interaction problem. It fails to prove the notion that the mind is an immaterial substance, and yet it interacts with material substances. The theory also does not fully explain how the body and soul interact and the correlation between the mind and the brain. 2. Self as a collection of memories Locke analyzed the concept of self-identity by suggesting that self is “a thinking intelligent being” that has the capability to reason and reflect “and can consider itself as itself, the same thinking thing, in different places and time.” This means that as so long as an individual is the same self, the same rational being, then one has the same personal identity. Any change in the personal identity from that point forward implies that the self has changed. Locke also suggests that one’s own identity extends as far as his consciousness (Solomon, 367). This means that if one can remember an experience then they in fact had the experience in the earlier times. It is which this assertions that Locke brought forth his most controversial section of his theory that suggested if one cannot remember some experience then they did not have the experience. Memory is, therefore, an essential condition of personal liberty according to Locke. In reference to instances of interrupted consciousness or forgetfulness, Locke claims that an individual’s consciousness is interrupted and he/she loses sight of their past self and therefore it raises doubts about whether they are “the same thinking thing”. Locke’s memory theory of personal identity thus concludes that memory is both an essential and sufficient condition of self and, as a result, self-identity (Solomon, 387). The strengths of Locke’s theory of self can be depicted ion his consistency with people’s subjective view of self. He relied completely on the criteria available only within oneself and not accessible to others. The continuity of consciousness is entirely in the view of self. His account of self is also based on the general accounts of identity and is founded on non-scholastic metaphysics. He is also consistent with his forensic notions of personal responsibility. The weaknesses in Locke’s account of self arise from the fact that he failed to establish what the continuity of consciousness is composed of. There remain no objective criteria that can be applied in distinguishing between two consciousness’s. The manner in which Locke treated the evidence of memory is also a weakness in itself. 3. The ‘No Self’ or Bundle Theory of Self Hume carried out research studies on a person’s character and the relationship between human and animal nature in the bundle theory of the self. Hume emphasized that people tend to think they are the same persons they were five years ago. He pointed out that the same individual appears present as was in prior years despite having undergone changes in various aspects. Hume, however, opposes any distinction between the features of an individual and the mysterious self that bears the said features. According to the bundle theory, an object is made up of its properties and nothing more (Solomon, 412). Therefore, there can never be an object without properties, and such an object cannot be conceived. In view of self, Hume asserted that man is a collection of different perceptions which often succeed one another. Hume relates the soul to a commonwealth which retains its identity not by means of any enduring core substance but by virtue of the composition of different, related and dynamic elements. The concept of self-identity is therefore characterized by the loose cohesion of one’s personal experience. Hume in his bundle theory of ‘Self’ clearly brought forth the difficulties involved in describing objects without clearly describing its properties. Through his arguments, he was able to maintain the notion that one cannot conceive a substance without properties. This justified the bundle theory. The weakness in this theory is in the fact that it fails to acknowledge any cohesiveness on the various parts of the bundle. Hume failed to provide answers with regards to the undeniable connections in multiple ties in his own bundled sense of self. 4. Self as Transcendental Ego The transcendental ego refers to the self that underlies all human thought and perception. It is the self that is essential in the creation of a unified empirical self-consciousness. Kant analyzed self as a transcendental ego in his efforts of tracking down human knowledge to a particular starting point free from any metaphysical speculation. Kant did not believe that any metaphysical certainties can be deduced from the certainty of the “I”. Kant claimed that the nature of “I” can only be understood as it appears to the human observation and not as it is in itself. He claimed that in order to make sense of the human thoughts, the transcendental ego must be possessed by individuals. Kant in the theory of the self as the transcendental ego was able to show the connection between transcendental consciousness and self-identity (Solomon, 190). However, he did not conclusively analyze the concept of “I think” and its relation to self-identity. 5. Self as a choice or a product of social construction This theory stresses that the self emerges through interaction with other individuals. The self is a property that emerges as a phenomenon from the interaction of societies of psychological experiences and perceptions. The theory points out that the self is an automatic part of every human being, and it enables people to relate to others (Solomon, 256). The concept of self is divided into three parts; self-knowledge, Interpersonal self and agent self. Self-knowledge allows people to gather information and beliefs about themselves. Interpersonal self allows one to display themselves to others hence establishing social connections. Agent self allows one to make choices and utilize their control in different situations and actions. The theory of the self as a choice or product of social construction clearly highlights the link between an individual’s idea of self and that of a group. The theory analyzes the relationship between self-categorization and group membership and the development of social identities. The limitations of this approach revolve around the concept of self-identity. (Solomon, 210).The definition of identity across different disciplines is often a controversy. Another weakness in this theory is in its disconnection between explanation and prediction. The theory makes coherent but vague explanations of past individual behavior in social settings from which it is difficult to predict future behavior. The theory that I think well describes the concept of self-identity is Locke’s Theory of the self as a collection of memories. As Locke suggests, we do not share the same personal identity we had as toddlers because we cannot remember the experience of toddlerhood. Memory is thus a vital condition for a person’s identity, and this assertion is based on sound logic. Further studies should, therefore, be carried out on the semantic memory systems in the generation and continuity of self-identity. Works cited Solomon, Robert C, Kathleen M. Higgins, and Clancy W. Martin. Introducing Philosophy: A Text with Integrated Readings. New York: Oxford University Press, 2012. Print. Read More