Philosophy's Great Question: Who Am I?

PHILOSOPHY’S GREAT QUESTION:
WHO AM I?

Laney Harris
Philosophy 2010 eCore
Dr. Waskey
February 16, 2015
University of West Georgia

When asked what is the self, ancient people said, “It is right there. It is the center of rational thought, speech, everything.” (Broks) Today’s society defines the self as a physical body and emotional and psychological (or spiritual) being. One of philosophy’s greatest questions, “Who am I?” has been asked since western philosophers began practicing. While evaluating the self, other questions arose. When did I begin? What will happen to me when I die? John Locke, David Hume, and René Descartes have had some of the most discussed, debated, and widely accepted positions on self-identity. (Olson) John Locke, also known as the “Father of Classical Liberalism,” was an English philosopher. He is viewed as one of the most influential figures of the enlightenment thinkers. His theory of the mind is considered one of the original concepts of the self and identity. Locke thought personal identity (of the self) to be based on consciousness. He theorized that one’s mind was empty at birth then shaped by experiences and sensations and reflections. Locke believed the self to be different and separate from the soul or the body. He also believed that one’s consciousness could be transferred from one substance (body) to another. (Nimbalkar)
David Hume was an eighteenth century Scottish historian and philosopher. He is most known for his skeptical approach to philosophy. He claimed that there was no permanent “self” that continued over time. Like Locke, Hume believed that all knowledge was derived from impressions. He argued that all moral distinctions were derived from feelings of pleasure and pain not from reason. Hume concluded that one’s identity is just a union created in the imagination. (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy – David Hume)
René Descartes was a seventeenth century French philosopher, mathematician, and writer. He argued that the mind and body could affect each other but were in fact two different substances. Unlike Locke and Hume, Descartes believed that information provided by senses could not be the basis of knowledge. He believed one’s soul’s contact happened in the Pineal gland. Descartes also believed the mind to be a thinking, non-extending substance and the body to be an extending, non-thinking substance. Because of his view of the separateness of the mind and body, Descartes argued that one could survive without the other. However, he was never able to prove this theory. (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy – René Descartes)
As discussed by Paul Broks, Dr. Julian Keenan, Hannah Palin, Dr. V.S. Ramachandran and Dr. Robert Sapolsky on the New York Public Radio show Radiolab in the segment titled “Who Am I,” there was an incident with a woman who had a brain aneurism, spent months in a coma, then woke up a different person. The woman claims to have experienced a different life while in the coma. She says she lived a life of a Vietnamese vegetable farmer. After waking up, she was not a Vietnamese vegetable farmer, but she was a different than before the aneurism. She is aware of being different. She even remembers how she was before the aneurism. For instance, she was quite shy, reserved, and quiet before the aneurism. Now she is not so shy, reserved, or quiet. She will randomly burst into song and dance just about anywhere since waking from the coma. Knowing Locke, Hume, and Descartes’ philosophies on self-identity, is this even possible? It all depends on whose theory you believe. Locke would believe that the woman’s consciousness transferred to another body while she was unconscious. Hume would probably be convinced that the woman had previously experienced the Vietnamese vegetable farmer for it to be a part of her memory. Descartes would claim this situation a partial proof that the mind and body were in fact two different entities and that one could survive without the other. There is good solid evidence for all of these arguments. What you believe is most likely based on, or at least closely related to, your religious (spiritual) beliefs.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Nimbalkar, Namita. "John Locke on Personal Identity." Mens Sana Monographs. Medknow Publications, n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2015.

Fieser, James. "Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy - David Hume." Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. University of Tennessee at Martin, n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.

Skirry, Justin. "Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy – René Descartes." Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.

Olson, Eric T. "Personal Identity." Stanford University. Stanford University, 20 Aug. 2002. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.

Broks, Paul, Hannah Palin, Julian Keenan, V. S. Ramachandran, and Robert Sapolsky. "Who Am I." New York Public Radio. New York Public Radio, n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2015.

Bibliography: Nimbalkar, Namita. "John Locke on Personal Identity." Mens Sana Monographs. Medknow Publications, n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2015. Fieser, James. "Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy - David Hume." Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. University of Tennessee at Martin, n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2015. Skirry, Justin. "Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy – René Descartes." Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2015. Olson, Eric T. "Personal Identity." Stanford University. Stanford University, 20 Aug. 2002. Web. 11 Feb. 2015. Broks, Paul, Hannah Palin, Julian Keenan, V. S. Ramachandran, and Robert Sapolsky. "Who Am I." New York Public Radio. New York Public Radio, n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2015.