What is it that makes me different from everyone else?
This is a question most philosophers ask when it comes to personal identity. This precisely is a question of life and death and the accurate answer is to decide on which changes a person can undertake without coming to an end. There are some questions of our own existence like is there life after death? Who am I? To differentiate these changes that makeup survival to death, there is a basis of personal identity given through time. There is one popular criterion that is associated with different religions is are people irrelevant souls or pure egos? Going off this view, individuals only have bodies temporarily so they can live after they die. This view satisfies many religious groups but it faces physical and environmental complications. Another criterion to consider of personal identity is that we are our bodies. Personal identity is composed of physical traits. Is it our physical appearance that makes me different than other people? One could argue that since i look different than someone else we have different personal identities.
Someone’s personal identity comes from properties I would use to define me as a person. These properties are what I would differentiate me from others. The way I define myself might be different than how someone else defines them as a person. Being a student could belong my personal but not someone who is not a student. Depending on how some define personal identity, it may be feasible that property could belong to someone's personal identity without an individual possessing it. If I persuade myself into believing I am the Queen then that could be one property I use to define myself even though my belief us distorted. What makes me a person as opposed to a nonperson? You could say that because I have a conscious I am a person. The yes/no principle suggests that there is always a matter of fact about whether or not someone exists. If we ask is this person Ashley? This person would either reply with a yes or no, even if we do not know what the reply would be.
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A soul is defined by the spiritual or immaterial part of a human. One could say that personal identity could not require the boy but could require only the person's soul. If the soul is what makes a person then you could say as long as my soul exists, I will exist. Some individuals believe that souls are able to leave the body and go somewhere else. Some believe souls go to heaven but what if souls leave one body and enter another? If this were to happen then someone's soul like Prince could be reincarnated in someone else named Bob. Would Prince and Bob be the same person? Not all souls are the same so even if my soul entered someone else, it would my soul in their body and not their own. Souls are almost supernatural so we can not detect them with our senses. If our bodies have something to do with our personal identity then as long as my body exists, then i will exist. With that being said, I do not think the body is sufficient enough for me to exist. An example of this is a brain-dead body lacking consciousness would be the very same person they were before.
Someone's capability to remember their past memories and experiences is also what could make a person a person. In Doctor Who, the doctor regenerates themselves and changes their appearance but the doctor keeps his past memories of past bodies he has been in. I would consider the doctor the same person because he still has memories of his old self. If my memories were implanted into someone else’s brain would that person be me now? Even though the bodies would be different, their memories would still be mine. In this case, the body does not constitute for personal identity it is the memories that do. If A and B are two people then A equals B, if and only A has the memories of B. If there are no memory relations then A and B are not the same people, this is called the memory requirement. If there are memory relations then A and B are the same people, this is called the memory guarantee. Someone's memories are not the metaphysical foundation of personal identity but it can provide personal confirmation of personal identity. I know that I was at my high school graduation because I have a memory of being there. I do not think that my memories make me the same person over time but instead allow me to know my past right away. Even if someone experiences the same event as me they are not the same person as me because i have a different view on it than they do. Am i the same person I was when I was experiencing certain memories when I was five? I do think that I am the same person but physically I am not the same person.
With memory comes consciousness. Many philosophers believe that the progression of memory is mandatory for personal identity across time. Some individuals believe that if they instantly lose their memories than you are not the same person. If an individual has complete amnesia and has no lifelong physiological impairment and that the individual can learn everything from scratch, they are able to live a normal life. If personal identity rests on memory then the person who had amnesia, this person is not the same anymore. You may look like the same person but you will act and like different things. Consciousness can be defined as being awake and aware of your surroundings. Your consciousness can be in control of your capability for you to choose. I believe that both bodily and your mental processes can be used to define personal identity. Say I have a sleepless night, during this time I was not conscious so would I still be the same person? If we use the memory requirement theory then I am not the same person when I am sleeping and unconscious. If we use the memory guarantee theory then I could say I am the same person I am while I am sleeping. I believe that someone's consciousness plays a very big role when it comes to your personal identity. Everyone has a different stream of consciousness so no one is the same. If you take a look at identical twins, even though they look the same they both have different streams of consciousness.
Since there are different stages of our lives how do all the events and stages in our lives make up an individual? These stages occur at different times in our lives and if an individual takes a look at two moments years apart, someone could say that that person is the same person. But instead, we could view those events as two different people. With this we can consider that individuals can change a great deal over time and that all people change a small amount over time. The problem with this is, does anything remain the same if the individual changes? I think that we are the same person just different versions of that person. Some other aspects people use for personal identity would be their environment, personal interests, and their families/friends. I do consider that these aspects shape my personal identity but, other individuals also can have these aspects as I do. Would someone who shares the same environment as me be me? I do not think that we would be the same person because i would have a different experience than they would have.
Personal identity is a complex topic because many things can influence who you are and what makes you different from everyone else. In conclusion, I believe that my soul, my ability to make memories, my consciousness, and the different stages in my life make up my personal identity. Each one of these makes up an individual's identity and can even change it over time. If your soul get transferred to someone else then you become that person. Since i am able to make my own memories i have personal confirmation of my personal identity.
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