Metaphysics, according to Merriam-Webster, is the part of the philosophy that is concerned with the fundamental nature of reality and being. Personal identity is one of the main topics covered by the study of metaphysics. Personal identity is associated with the theme of the One and the Many and with a paradox: the individual remains the same despite their changes over time. The rationale for this paradox is the big challenge faced by metaphysics. Several philosophers tried to define personal...
1 Page
503 Words
There are very distinct opinions between philosophers John Locke, an English philosopher, and David Hume, a Scottish empiricist and skeptic philosopher when it comes down to the topic of personal identity. Both, Locke and Hume, give many reasons for their beliefs, which help support their positions. While both provide their reasonings for their beliefs, one does seem to be a bit more convincing in their argument than the other. It is important to understand both philosophers’ points of view regarding...
2 Pages
745 Words
In this paper, I shall attempt to discuss personal identity and the different theories of personal identity. I shall make the particular case of the Cartesian theory, and provide a refutation against the soul theory, and a counter-refutation to the same from Indian philosophical thought. Personal identity theory is a philosophical investigation into the concept of self. Decoding the problem of personal identity means exploring the concept of the persistence of “entities”. Truthmaker theory establishes a link between the truth...
4 Pages
1718 Words
Foreword An old story written by Wayne Cordeiro in his book, “Doing Church As A Team” tells of a rabbi living in a Russian city a century ago. Disappointed by his lack of direction and life purpose, he wandered in the chilly evening. With his hands thrust deep in his pockets, he aimlessly walked through the empty streets, questioning his faith in God, the Scriptures, and his calling to ministry. The only thing colder than the Russian winter air was...
3 Pages
1592 Words
Reductionism is a belief that all complex phenomena can be explained by simplifying the whole concept into basic constituent parts. In his book ‘Reasons and Persons’ Parfit outlines how a reductionist would explain personal identity. The idea is that by conceptually isolating certain features of a person, we can come to understand what the crucial feature is that bases the concept of a person. He claims a person’s existence to involve nothing outside of the physical and psychological experiences one...
2 Pages
803 Words
Get a unique paper that meets your instructions
800+ verified writers
can handle your paper.
place order
Introduction Parfit argues that personal identity and psychological continuity cannot both be what matters in survival because the former cannot admit a degree, whereas the latter can. Parfit takes a reductionist view of personal identity reasoning that what is of importance is facts concerning brains, bodies, and physical and mental events; we should not be concerned with another sense of identity that cannot necessarily be explained by physical brain activity. I argue that psychological continuity and personal identity are not...
3 Pages
1464 Words
A personal identity, level of self-esteem, and body image are all incredibly important to an individual’s mental health and well-being. Personal identity refers to how a person sees themselves and it is very closely linked to self-esteem and body image. Personal identity I’d the way people see themselves and it is an important part of it because it affects the way people feel about themselves and how they behave in situations. Personal identity is what makes a person unique it...
2 Pages
721 Words
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...
3 Pages
1382 Words
One’s identity is what makes them stand out from society; without identity the world’s population would be able to fit into one common mold. At the same time, individuality is one of the numerous challenges faced by youth today. While the idea of acceptance is spreading continuously, everyone faces a period in life in which they are told by society or peers that it is inappropriate to be different. The novels, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey...
3 Pages
1389 Words
A Discussion Between Socrates and Hume on Personal Identity and Moral Agency On a quiet Sunday afternoon, Socrates and Hume meet at a coffee shop in a small town, well away from the hectic big city. They explore the philosophical topics of personal identity and moral agency and find their philosophies differ greatly. Hume leans back in his chair and considers his guest. “What are your thoughts on the subject of personal identity, Socrates?” Socrates sets down his cup of...
1 Page
561 Words
This essay will focus on the ideas of collective and individual identity and how they are presented in ‘The Dead’ (1914) by James Joyce, Brave New World (1932) by Aldous Huxley, ‘Daddy’ (1965) by Silvia Plath and The Handmaid’s Tale (1985) by Margaret Atwood. The idea of identity, in general, is a central theme in all of these texts. Gordon Marshall (1998) describes identity as centred on two distinct areas, namely the psychodynamic and the sociological. An example of sociological...
7 Pages
2994 Words
The stimulus is an extract from ‘The Office’ in which Jim dresses up as Dwight, such that he looks similar to Dwight. The stimulus brings up issues surrounding identity as, when Jim dresses up as Dwight, Dwight considers this ‘identity theft’. Moreover, other people, such as Pam, around the office consider Jim dressed up as Dwight to be Dwight. Therefore, this gives the impression that Jim’s identity is purely made up of his physical appearance. Hence, it evokes the question...
4 Pages
1901 Words
Identity can be defined as, the characteristics that defines someone, for example a person’s name is a form of identity. Identity can refer to one’s personal identity as an individual, or one’s social identity as a member of a group (Marwick 2013, p. 355). Identity changes for each individual, as people present themselves differently based on context and audience. For example, one’s identity may be different to when they are around family, compared to when they are around friends. Personal...
1 Page
582 Words
People usually look at a person, acknowledges that they are there, judges them on something, and then walks away. Many things make up a human being. We are all individuals, and I believe no one is the same. If you are Hinduism then your essential self is transpersonal, it is the same within all individuals. But I never see two people who are exactly the same. I also believe that our personal identity is constructed over our lifetime. The definition...
2 Pages
755 Words
Being a human, everyone has their personalities and properties which people can base on to distinguish a group of people or an individual. There are many factors that affect our characteristics. Value and identity differ from person to person, therefore people should respect and accept it even it is good or bad. According to the writers in chapter one, there are three assumptions which are used to define the word “identity”: “Identity is what we’re born with”, “Identity is shaped...
5 Pages
2209 Words
Identity can be defined as the way you think about yourself, the way you view the world and the characteristics that define you. It is a typical feature for authors to create unique identities for their characters which shapes the rest of the book. Both novels explore the ambitions, dreams and personality of their protagonists in order to portray their sense of identity. Firstly, both Gatsby in ‘The Great Gatsby’ and Baba in ‘The Kite Runner’ attempt to create an...
7 Pages
3088 Words
INTRODUCTION The study of Society and Culture enhances the development of social and cultural literacy, primarily focusing on the interactions between persons, societies, cultures, environments and time. Founded upon conceptually based topics, a variety of cross-disciplinary concepts are drawn upon, utilizing a series of social and developmental theories in the teachings of personal and social identity. In an attempt to better understand the development of identity and social self, numerous theorists have constructed explanations to account for these processes of...
3 Pages
1312 Words
Self-awareness, has evidently been the key issue from a formative and a transformative point of view’, is a rich and entangled topic. As individuals, we can never completely comprehend ourselves, if there is such a desire. In any case, maybe it is simply the adventure of investigating, understanding and getting to be ourselves that entices our life worth living. (Jessie zhu 2017) From the old Greek Aphorism ‘know thyself’ towards the western world, the theme of self awareness has dependably...
1 Page
672 Words
Self-Efficacy is a person’s belief that they can accomplish a difficult task or challenge. My self-efficacy can lead to growth mindset if I believe that I can accomplish a difficult task or challenge. I can accomplish a difficult task by practicing or studying hard. I can also use positive self-talk to keep me focused on positive thinking instead of negative thinking. Self-talk is the practice of a person talking to oneself aloud or mentally. Self-talk can be positive or negative....
1 Page
425 Words
Let me start by asking you all some questions, who are you, what is your purpose, what do you aspire to be? Now I’m sure some of you have your whole future seemingly planed out but, for the large majority of us we’re still unsure. In psychology, the concept of identity is described as “the qualities, beliefs, personality, looks and/or expressions that make a person or group”. The 2011 Novel, The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid, takes this concept on...
1 Page
539 Words
Identity is what makes a person who they are and when one goes through trauma and dehumanization the way they see things changes, which causes their identity to reshape. ‘Night’ by Eliezer Wiesel is a Holocaust memoir where Elie narrates his life experience in the concentration camps during the Holocaust. Elie provides horrifying details of the atrocities he and the Jews suffered in the camps. The suffering and trauma Elie endures in ‘Night’ affect his choices, resulting in a loss...
2 Pages
1033 Words
Memories are the architecture of our identity, designed by our parents. Together the protagonists from the novel ‘Jasper Jones’, and the film ‘Into the Wild’, have grown up with memories built around their parents, and what their parents have emphasized as their identity. Charlie and Chris have had their identities shaped by the way their parents have raised them. Ever since a young age, parents have always been there in our memories. The things that have been there since childhood...
4 Pages
1761 Words
The identity crisis of women from the perspective of ‘The Darling’ and ‘Profession for women’ The concept of “identity crisis” originates in the work of developmental psychologist Erik Erikson, who believed that the formation of identity was one of the most important parts of a person’s life. When people are confused about their role or goal in life they face an identity crisis. Identity crisis is one of the common conflicts people face during their development. Erikson described identity as...
3 Pages
1311 Words
The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line. This was one of the quotes by American sociologist W. E. B. Du Bois. Du Bois had many occupations: he was a professor, historian, journalist, and others. He was the first African American graduated from the integrated public high school in Great Barrington; aside from that, he was also the first African American who earned a Ph.D. from Harvard University. In his book “The Soul of Black...
3 Pages
1399 Words
Linguistic identity refers to a situation whereby a person considers himself or herself to be part of a certain group that speaks the same language. Most people become fluent in a second or third language at risk of losing their identity. My linguistic background is that I was raised in a linguistic environment where I used Xhosa as my home language and English at school. After that, I found myself in a different language where I need to use isiZulu....
2 Pages
1028 Words
The environment of an individual’s identity shapes the community’s identity due to isolation. When coming together everyone has so much to express and share as everyone has missed out on so much due to being Australian bush men or women. ‘Our Pipes’ and ‘The Drover’s Wife’ explore the culture, identity, and language on both an individual and community aspect. The individual identity explored by Lawson through both texts is the characters and in which they affirm, ignore, challenge, reveal or...
2 Pages
904 Words
Identity being yourself not trying to fit a mold set up by society due to your race or ethnicity; to be true to yourself is to uphold your bicultural identity. There are many races and cultures throughout the world that uphold many different beliefs and ideas on how life should be lived and how one should act; to fall under a social construct and oblige to please others leads to you being unsatisfied knowing you’re more than what society is...
2 Pages
894 Words
The Bluest Eye is a book ahead of its time. Published in 1970, The Bluest Eye tells the story of an 11-year-old girl, Pecola who fervently wishes for beautiful blue eyes, in the hope that happiness love and acceptance would follow. Though many of the characters in the bluest eye possess dark and gloomy lives their stories shine a light on many of the problems modern society has today. Furthermore, Morrison uses this book as a vehicle to drive discussions...
5 Pages
2201 Words
In both The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, the writers explore how control and oppression establish a lack of identity in individuals. This exploration is achieved by focusing the novels around how the main characters live under governments who manipulate individuality, relationships and knowledge to create their own visions of stability. Huxley’s government in Brave New World is known as the World State, who are responsible for the entire planet aside from a...
4 Pages
1819 Words
In the third chapter, the quest for identity in the Black Boy is examined. The work is the autobiography of Richard Wright’s own life in the South during his childhood and youth. It is a true document of race relations in America. Although an autobiography it is highly personalized, the author’s eyes and ears and emotions were vibrantly sensitive, so he missed as little of what went on around him as what went on inside him. In Black Boy which...
2 Pages
706 Words