How Does John Locke Define Personal Identity

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Select one position on personal identity and one criticism of that position. Explain both and then explain whether or not you find the criticism convincing or not.

When discussing to personal identity one is referring to what is necessary to determine what makes someone who they are and thereby, what changes can they undergo without ceasing to exist (Carsten Korfmacher). One attempt to define personal identity and thereby what makes a person that same person from one time and space to another is through psychological means. With the psychological criterion comes the idea that personal identity is dependent on one’s consciousness rather than the physical body. A specific position within this field of thought is John Locke’s memory criterion …show more content…
Therefore, Reid approach that numerical identity is transitive is not only compatible with our biological understanding of personal identity but also with our personal view of what makes us who we are.

John Locke’s definition of personal identity consists as ‘a thinking intelligent being that has reason and reflection and can consider itself as itself, the same thinking thing, in different times and places’(John Locke, 1689, 335) and thereby places all emphasis on consciousness. Locke states that if one is thinking one must have consciousness and it is this ability for consciousness to be ‘extended backwards’(Jonathan Bennett, 2004, page 115) to past experiences that classifies personal identity. Consciousness in this case specifically refers to memory however, this view that consciousness and memory are one in the same thing can be accused of over simplifying consciousness. Nevertheless, this also has the consequence of stating that if you don’t remember a past action then you personally didn’t have the experience. Subsequently this raises issues with not only early childhood but with dreams

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