To provide some context for Locke's theory of personal identity, it may help to know what he thought about out minds and how they work. Locke thought that everyone is born with a 'blank slate' for a mind. This means that our minds are empty when we are born. Every experience and perception creates an impression on the mind, leaving behind information and memories. So you can see, if our minds (finite mental substances, i.e. souls) are empty without any memories, it makes sense then that awareness of memories is what makes personal identity.
Monday, August 26, 2013
Tabula Rasa: Some Context for Locke
To provide some context for Locke's theory of personal identity, it may help to know what he thought about out minds and how they work. Locke thought that everyone is born with a 'blank slate' for a mind. This means that our minds are empty when we are born. Every experience and perception creates an impression on the mind, leaving behind information and memories. So you can see, if our minds (finite mental substances, i.e. souls) are empty without any memories, it makes sense then that awareness of memories is what makes personal identity.
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