In Locke's
An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, Locke contrasts human personal identity with identity of different kinds of things. He begins with a general principle of identity: something is identical only to itself, and it is impossible for two things to exist in the same place at the same time. From this, we get a criterion for the identity of bodies, or physical objects. Physical objects stay the same so long as they stay the same combination of atoms. When something (mass, atoms, substance) is added to or removed from a physical body, then that body changes and is no longer identical to a past version of itself. Bodies are identical to themselves insofar as they continue to be the same collection of atoms. Locke notes that this criterion does not apply to living things like plants. An oak tree begins as an acorn, grows into a tree and may eventually be cut down. We say it is the same oak tree even though the atoms and particles that make up that oak tree have changed. Then what is the criterion for the personal identity of a tree? Well, the atoms of the tree may change over time, but the tree maintains an organization of its parts. The tree's parts are organized in a way to contribute to its nourishment and to the continuation of its life. Simply put, plants are organized living bodies. So long as a tree maintains this organization throughout the course of its life, then it is the same tree (even though the atoms that compose the tree have changed many times). Animals, brutes (yes, this is a racist term applied to non-European, non-"civilized" humans) and machines are all like plants insofar as they are all bodies that are organized for a certain end (goal). In animals and brutes, we can see the movement that results from their organizing processes; in plants we cannot. Machines differ from animals and brutes insofar as machines move only when acted upon by external forces. Animals, however, are the source of their own motion. Still, none of these distinctions has yet clarified the criterion for personal identity of humans; that's because that what makes a person identical to himself or herself is something different and unique to human beings: a soul. Specifically, Locke understands 'soul' to refer to our conscious awareness of our thoughts, experiences, perceptions and actions. Human personal identity depends on our awareness of past events in our lives. Our identity is made up of the things we remember thinking and doing.
In Locke's An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, Locke contrasts human personal identity with identity of different kinds of things. He begins with a general principle of identity: something is identical only to itself, and it is impossible for two things to exist in the same place at the same time. From this, we get a criterion for the identity of bodies, or physical objects. Physical objects stay the same so long as they stay the same combination of atoms. When something (mass, atoms, substance) is added to or removed from a physical body, then that body changes and is no longer identical to a past version of itself. Bodies are identical to themselves insofar as they continue to be the same collection of atoms. Locke notes that this criterion does not apply to living things like plants. An oak tree begins as an acorn, grows into a tree and may eventually be cut down. We say it is the same oak tree even though the atoms and particles that make up that oak tree have changed. Then what is the criterion for the personal identity of a tree? Well, the atoms of the tree may change over time, but the tree maintains an organization of its parts. The tree's parts are organized in a way to contribute to its nourishment and to the continuation of its life. Simply put, plants are organized living bodies. So long as a tree maintains this organization throughout the course of its life, then it is the same tree (even though the atoms that compose the tree have changed many times). Animals, brutes (yes, this is a racist term applied to non-European, non-"civilized" humans) and machines are all like plants insofar as they are all bodies that are organized for a certain end (goal). In animals and brutes, we can see the movement that results from their organizing processes; in plants we cannot. Machines differ from animals and brutes insofar as machines move only when acted upon by external forces. Animals, however, are the source of their own motion. Still, none of these distinctions has yet clarified the criterion for personal identity of humans; that's because that what makes a person identical to himself or herself is something different and unique to human beings: a soul. Specifically, Locke understands 'soul' to refer to our conscious awareness of our thoughts, experiences, perceptions and actions. Human personal identity depends on our awareness of past events in our lives. Our identity is made up of the things we remember thinking and doing.
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